Mistaken Mate
by SlytherinTribute12
Summary: "I didn't know we were on a date…" Draco teased. "Well..Uhm…I just thought…" Hermione couldn't find words to explain herself."Wait!" His voice stopped her before she could even make it up the stairs. "Since this was a date, isn't it fitting that I receive a goodnight kiss?" He smirked. VeelaFic.Not every story has a happy ending. Does this one?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This goes for all the chapters. I do not own Harry Potter. The characters and setting and spells and whatnot belongs to J.K Rowling. **

It wasn't everyday that you find out you're part bird. Ever since I was brought to existence, my father has planted in my head that we we're pureblood. This proved to be complete rubbish starting today.

"You're a Veela, dear. Not some kind of monster." I rolled my eyes at my mother's comment. I might as well be a monster. '_No one must find out about this_'. I thought to myself. If anyone in Hogwarts were to find out that my wizard blood wasn't pure, my reputation would be ruined. I will hear no end to it from Potty and Weasel.

"I may come in second in my marks at Hogwarts, but I am not completely clueless mother. I did some reading on Veelas in fourth year, and it states that they grow beaks and wings when angered. Tell me that does not fall in the category: Monster." I snapped back. When I laid my eyes on Fleur Delacour during the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year, I suddenly became interested in Veelas which lead me to the Hogwarts Library.

They were very interesting species indeed with the power to shoot fireballs from their hands when angry. But there is always a downside of course, the fact that they have to mate with someone their entire life. I can't simply bear the thought of spending my whole entire life with one woman. The worse part is I can't have a say in who my mate is, my Veela blood does all the choosing and what not.

"You are only half Veela, Draco, so don't be such a prick about it," said my father. "Being only half Veela means that you will not grow a beak and or wings, but you still have to find a mate before you come of age, or else, you may suffer the consequences." He continued. _'Thank Merlin.'_ Being obliged to spend the rest of my life with one woman might be a downside, but at least I'll still be good looking.

"What consequences, father?" I read up that a Veela may become heartbroken if his or her mate chooses to reject him or her, but I hardly classify that as a bad thing. Everyone must move on at some point.

"If your mate refuses to let you mark her, you will heartbroken. It is very rare that a Veela survives a heart break." _Bloody Hell._ I think to myself, but I don't dare to interrupt my father. Not if I want to get beaten again. "First, the Veela will fall into a deep depression, and then commit suicide because he or she can't simply live without his or her mate." He finished. "I got lucky for your mother and I we're already in a relationship even before I found out about my Veela blood, and fortunately, she was my mate." At this, my father smiled and turned to my mother to give her a peck on the cheek.

"You must find your mate before your next birthday, my son." Said my mother.

Today is August 25, and I will be off to Hogwarts in a week. My birthday is on June 5, which gives me nine months to find my mate, or else I will die. Just great.

"Why have you just decided to tell me _now_?" I stand up and start to pace across the room. In a matter of life or death, I expected my parents to tell me sooner; giving me more time to look for my other half.

"It would be no use telling you before you came of age." Lucius spat, suddenly becoming annoyed by me. "Your Veela gene will become dominant only when you turn 17, and before then, you will not know who your mate is, even if you have encountered her." He explained. "But now that you're 17, even being in close proximity with your mate will drive your blood crazy." At this, I let out a sigh. What he means to say is that I might've probably already met my mate, but I have no clue about it.

_What if I was a jerk to her? What if she was one of the girls I shagged, and completely forgotten the next day? What if she hates me?_ Questions like these entered my brain. This just gets worse and worse.

**R/R . **


	2. Chapter 2

"Draco dear, Diagon Alley isn't going to wait for you to wake up before they close. Now up!" I can hear my mother making her way around my room. Suddenly I became blinded by the bright light coming through my windows. It was only yesterday that my parents confessed to me about myself being a Veela, now my mother barges in my room, acting as if nothing ever happened.

"Five more minutes mother." My hands find my blankets that my mother discarded on the floor and throw it over my head.

"You might've gotten your prefect badge stripped off of you, but that does not give you a reason to slack off in your studies." She screams at me, as she makes her way through my closet, picking out my outfit for the day. _Mothers these days._ "Put these on, and meet me in the Family Room in ten minutes." She throws me black trousers, and a green v-neck shirt with a black blazer. I quickly make my way to my bathroom to do the usual clean up routine, not wanting to piss off my mother.

I don't even bother making my bed, knowing that my personal house elf, Dinky, will do it for me. My feet find its way going down the grand staircase of the Malfoy Manor into the Family Room.

My eyes search room, and I find my mother standing next to the fireplace, with Floo Powder in hand. She never did like apparating; said it made her dizzy and whatnot.

I grabbed some of the green powder off the pot in my mother's hand, and stand inside the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" Throwing the powder down, I feel the green flames swallowing my body and transporting me to my said location.

In a mere of seconds, I find my mother standing next to me, and motioning me to get into the store; Flourish and Blotts. I hand my mother the list of supplies needed for my 7th year that came with my Hogwarts letter.

"Mother, if you don't mind, I would like to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies next door to look for a new broom, and just meet you at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in 2 hours." I give her a pleading Malfoy look, no woman can resist. Not even my mother. I didn't want to be seen in Diagon Alley shopping with my mother. My reputation would be ruined. I have an image to uphold.

"Okay, but just make sure you don't find your way in Knockturn Alley. I forbade your father to step foot in that place, and I am now doing the same to you. Understand?" I nod, and make my way out of the book store, just after I gave my mother a hug.

Ever Since the Dark Lord's defeat, my mother has become very protective of my father and I. Neither of my parents got sent to Azkaban, all thanks for Harry Potter's testimony about my mother, and Hermione Granger's testimony about my father.

My father didn't want anyone to know, but during the Battle of Hogwarts, he sent a killing curse towards Dolohov who was just about to murder the famous mudblood Granger. He didn't want his fellow purebloods to know that he was going soft, but he kept it a secret. That was until Granger spoke up, and helped my father from being sentenced a life in Azkaban.

I open the door to the shop, and hear the bells ringing above me, signaling my presence to the story owner. During the summers, I always spend my free time here, so I have a very good relationship with the store owner.

"Hello Draco. A new shipment of the Silver Arrow 2000 just came in yesterday. They're in the back with the other brooms if you would like to take a look." The store owner, Mr. Montrose says to me. I smile at him, and I make my way to the back of the room.

The Silver Arrow 2000 is currently the fastest broom in the Quidditch world, topping Potter's firebolt. Just what I need to win Quidditch Cup for Slytherin this year.

I pass all the standard brooms from Cleansweeps to the Nimbus 1000. There, all alone in the wall, was the most beautiful broom I ever laid my eyes on. It was true Slytherin beauty with a black and silver handle, with Silver Arrow 2000 engraved with dark green on the end of the handle.

"I'll take it." I say to Mr. Montrose. I even purchase me a new pair of Dragon skin gloves to go with my new broom. I cast a shrinking spell in my new broom to fit in the pockets of my blazer. _'Reducio'._

Just as I was about to make my way out of the store, the bells began to ring, signaling a new costumer coming in. turns his attention to the new customers, and greets me.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and the youngest Weasley, and . Welcome to Quality Quidditch Supplies." Mr. Montrose greets. They just smile back at him, but their smiles quickly falter once they notice me standing next to the store owner.

"Malfoy." They say in unison with the same tone of dislike; as if it were rehearsed.

"Potty, Weasel & Weaslette, Know-it-all." I acknowledge, and I shot them my famous Malfoy smirk. Knowing that the Golden Trio saved the Wizarding World, and my family from the clutches of Voldemort, I decided to keep low on the name calling. "Weasley, I didn't know you could afford to even step foot in a shop like this. Shouldn't you be buying your second hand robes around the corner?" I love teasing the Weasel, not only with the pleasure of making his blood boil, but to see his face turn the same shade of red as his hair is priceless.

Instead of acknowledging my insult, he turns to Mr. Montrose and simply says, "I didn't know you allow Death Eaters in your store."

Before I my fists even came contact with his face, Mr. Montrose cuts in and says,

"Customers are customers, . Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take inventory. Try your best not to destroy my store." With the last comment, he snaps his head at him.

I shot them a dirty look, and suddenly I had a hard time breathing. My hand clutches my chest, as my knees hit the floor. The Weaslette lays her hands on me and asks me if I was okay, and Granger gets on her knees in front of me. Bloody Idiots. Of course I wasn't okay. I could hardly breathe, but I couldn't find the ability to move my mouth.

The Weaslette takes my hand, just as Granger makes her way closer to me, and as if on cue, everything goes black. My last memory was Weaslette holding my hand, and Granger looking into my eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: This goes for all the chapters. I do not own Harry Potter. The characters and setting and spells and whatnot belong to J.K Rowling. **

_Third-Person._

The trio, plus Ginny, didn't know if they should've been happy about Malfoy's collapse or sad because Colin Creevey wasn't around to take a picture of it all. Either way, Hermione sent Harry and Ron to locate Malfoy's mother, Narcissa; knowing very well that she wouldn't have let her son do all the shopping.

Mr. Montrose was still in the back of his shop doing some inventory, and he didn't have a clue at all to what was going on in the front of his store. A few minutes later, Ron and Harry came bursting in the shop, with Narcissa Malfoy in tow.

Hermione shared a quick glance with Mrs. Malfoy and her eyes soon traveled to her two best friends, who were trying very hard to hold back their laughter. _How immature._ Hermione thinks.

"Oh my baby…" Mrs. Malfoy cries as she strokes Malfoy's forehead, and with this, the whole store is filled with the boys' laughter. They nearly fell on the floor, clutching their stomachs and wiping the tears off their face. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." Mrs. Malfoy kept muttering as she checked Malfoy's heartbeat and any sign of injuries. "_Expecto Patronum!_" She casted, with that came out a giant spider off the tip of her wand.

With this, Ron shrieked like a little girl, and ran off, screaming, "Don't eat me!"

"He has found her." Narcissa whispered to her patronus, and off it went to its mater's desired destination: Lucius Malfoy. "We must be going now. Thank you for informing me about my dear Draco." She smiled at Hermione. Narcissa held Malfoy's body in her arms; preparing for side-along apparation, and off they went with a pop.

As soon as Mrs. Malfoy and Ferret were gone, Hermione turned to Harry, "Just what in Merlin's pants were you laughing about?" She screamed at him. "He might be your enemies, and sure he can be cruel at times, but this is no laughing matter!" She yelled.

Instead of feeling ashamed, Harry was once again, on the floor clutching his stomach, laughing like a lunatic.

"Oh Hermione, it's just that we found Mrs. Malfoy in Madame Malkin's Drycleaners…" Harry explained. Ginny and Hermione both looked at him for a further explanation. "She was picking up Draco's…" And again, Harry began to laugh. "She was picking up Draco's stuffed-dragon. Who, according to , is named Scorpy." Harry continued to laugh, and Hermione and Ginny soon joined in. "Scorpy seems to be a regular costumer at Madame Malkins; even had a suit on that thing. Only the best for a Malfoy, I guess." They walked out of the store laughing, in search Ron.

**Malfoy Manor**

"Dinky!" Narcissa called for Draco's house elf with a snap of her fingers. "Take your master to his room, and inform Lucius to meet me in the common room in the East Wing." She ordered him.

Narcissa paced around the common room, waiting for Lucius to arrive. It wasn't a long wait. Her husband elegantly made his way to his wife. "What is it my love?" He asked. Some people might think Lucius abuses his wife and whatnot, but he loved her very much. A Veela never harms his mate. Never.

"Draco. Mate. Found. Weasley." Mrs. Malfoy stuttered. Lucius's eyes widened with fear. Never in the name of Merlin would he have wanted a Weasley for his son's mate. He cupped his wife's face, whispering soothing words into her ears.

"Are you positive?" He asked her, but he already knew the answer. Nothing would have caused Draco to collapse like that if his mate weren't near. She merely nodded.

"A Weasley tarnishing the Malfoy blood! This will ruin me…" Lucius began to shout. Narcissa got angry; yes, she was speechless about Draco finding his mate, but not because she was a Weasley, but because she was afraid for her son. _That Weasley girl might not accept him_, she worried.

"You will accept the girl even if she was a muggleborn or a bloody hippogriff, do you understand Lucius?" She spat at her husband. "The only person that will be doing the tarnishing is you if you keep up your prejudice against blood-traitors and muggleborns." She huffed, and made an exit out of the common to deliver Scorpy to Draco before he notices his absence.

**This chapter is pretty short, sorry about that. Only about 700 words. I'll try to make the next chapter longer ! promise. Please tell me what you think. Are things happening too quick? R/R. Lots of love, slytherintribute12(:**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: This goes for all the chapters. I do not own Harry Potter. The characters and setting and spells and whatnot belong to J.K Rowling. **

"Dinner with the Weasleys? Are you insane, mother?" It was the next day, and Draco had just woken up from his terrible incident in Diagon Alley. His mother had tried to wake him up many times, and informing him about dinner with the Weasleys did the trick. "Does father know about this?" He asked as he put a black v-neck shirt over his head, and some gray sweats.

"Of course he does." She said aghast. "He's the one who suggested it." She continued with obvious pride in her husband for getting over his blood-traitor prejudices. Draco was very perplexed about the whole situation. _Why would mother and father want to have dinner with the Weasleys?_ He asked himself.

"Why the sudden bonding with the Weasleys, mother?" Draco asked with curiosity. This question took Narcissa aback, and she quickly realized that her son might not know about him finding his mate yet.

"Why? Because their youngest daughter is your mate." She said in matter of fact tone.

Draco couldn't believe this. He did not want to get married to a Weasley. _It's bad enough that I have to grace them with my presence at school, now I have to be in an ancient relationship with one._ Draco thought to himself. His last thought before everything went black for him.

"Oh, dear!" Narcissa exclaimed. "Dinky! Carry your master to his bed." She ordered the house elf. _He truly is a Malfoy; fainting when finding out they have to associate themselves with the Weasleys. _Narcissa laughed to herself.

_**The Burrow **_

As soon as Ron heard the news, he ran upstairs to his room all the way at the top of the house, just beneath the attic. He almost bumped in Harry and Hermione in the stairway. Harry and Hermione saw the panic look in Ron's face so they quickly followed him, shouting, "Ron! Wait up."

"Bloody Merlin. Dinner. Hell. Malfoy. Frozen." Ron muttered like a maniac as he stuffed random clothing in a bag. Harry grabbed hold of Ron's shoulders, and shook him.

"Snap out of it, mate." Harry said, still shaking Ron.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, as soon as Ron calmed down, but her question just made him go crazy again.

"Thanks a lot, Hermione." Harry mouthed to her, trying his best to soothe his mate.

"We got invited to have dinner at the Malfoy Manor." Ron suddenly spoke up. Hermione and Harry didn't know what to say. The Malfoys and the Weasleys have been at each other's throat since the rise of Lord Voldemort, and suddenly, the Malfoys want to be all friendly with the red-headed family.

"Maybe they just want to make amends…?" What Harry said sounded more like a question than a statement to Ron.

"What if this is all a trap? Oh Harry, I'm too young too die." Ron cried. Hermione just rolled her eyes at him. She thought he was being so dramatic.

Harry patted Ron in the back, while Hermione excused herself to find out how Ginny's taking the news.

The loud yelling, which sounded a lot like Ginny led Hermione to the kitchen.

"What do you mean you accepted the invitation?" Ginny yelled at Mrs. Weasley.

"How hard is it to understand? I accepted the invitation to have dinner at the Malfoy Manor. Simple as that." Mrs. Weasley said, very calmly. By this time, Ron was making his way downstairs to join the argument.

"Simple! Mother, they're Death Eaters!" Ron shouted out of nowhere, making Hermione jumped from where she stood; the bottom of the staircase.

"They invited us to make amends, and Mr. Malfoy said he had a proposal to speak of." Mr. Weasley joined in. When Lucius offered Arthur a proposal, Mr. Weasley thought it was some kind of business proposal for his department in the Ministry.

"You guys are bonkers!" Ginny and Ron yelled at their parents in unison. Hermione felt out of place, and didn't want to intrude in the family argument so she simply made her way upstairs to find Harry.

_**The day after…**_

"Please Hermione!" Ginny was getting on Hermione's nerves.

"For the…" Hermione took a minute to count, "78th time, I will no accompany you to the Malfoy Manor!" Hermione finished. Ever since Ginny had a lost the argument between her parents about dinner with the Malfoy, she has been begging Hermione to go with her.

"Harry's going to be there for Ron. Why can't you be there for me?" Ginny whined. "If you don't come with me, I will sneak into your dorms at night, when you least expect, and burn your _Hogwarts: a History." _Ginny threatened.

Hermione went rigid in the mention of burn and _Hogwarts: a History_ in the same sentence. She quickly regained her composure.

"You will not do such a thing, because if you do, I will tell Harry about the shrine you built for him when you were in second year." Hermione had been spending the summer with the Weasleys, and she accidentally walked in on Ginny making out with her wall. When Hermione got a closer look, the wall was full of pictures of Harry Potter. Hermione promised Ginny she wouldn't mention it to Harry, but this calls for a very important consideration.

Ginny looked almost sick to her stomach. "Just be there for dinner, and then you can leave. Please Hermione…" Ginny cried. "I'll stop pestering you about wearing make-up, and I won't ask you to do my homework anymore… Just please go with me." Ginny was getting desperate if she offered to stop pestering Hermione about her image.

Hermione thought for a second… The thought of Ginny not bothering her about her looks got Hermione's attention.

"You've got yourself a deal Ms. Weasley." Hermione smiled. At this, Ginny jumped and wrapped her arms around her girl best friend very tightly. Ginny thanked Hermione over and over, and then she finally let her best friend go.

"By the way, Hermione… It's formal." Ginny blurted out, and with this, she made a dash to her brother's room and locked herself in, knowing how mad Hermione will be. She knew Hermione didn't like getting all dressed up, especially if it meant getting dressed up for a Malfoy.

"Ginerva Weasley!" Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs.

**What'd you think? Good, bad , eh? Haha. If you guys have any suggestions on how the story should go, or have any ideas on events that should take place, feel free to review. Lots of love –SlytherinTribute12. 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: This goes for all the chapters. I do not own Harry Potter. The characters and setting and spells and whatnot belong to J.K Rowling. **

"Get your butts down here now!" Mrs. Weasley squealed at the bottom of the staircase. Harry and Ron rushed down the stairs, both wearing identical black suits instead of the Wizard traditional dress robes.

Ginny came down next, wearing a black body-con dress just above her knees with a one-sided lace long sleeve. It really complimented her skin tone, and the brightness of her hair color doesn't make her look all dark and spooky.

"You look very lovely, Ginny." Harry commented, making both of them blush.

"Oi mate! I'd appreciate it if you didn't mingle with my sister right in front of me!" Ron shouted at Harry.

"Oh Ronald, stop pestering the couple just because you have the table manners of a Hungarian Horntail and can't get a girl-…" Mrs. Weasley began, but was quickly cut off by her son's drooling figure. She followed her son's gaze, and her eyes fell on Hermione; who was coming down the stairs very gracefully. "Hermione dear, you look stunning." Mrs. Weasley walked over to Hermione to give her a peck on the cheek, and to take a moment to admire her dress.

"Ron, close your mouth." Ginny said, making Hermione brush. She was wearing an all white dress that went down just above her knees. It had long sleeves, and a lace neckline. It made Hermione look like a Greek goddess, with her light brown smokey eye, and soft brown waves.

"Now don't all of you look ravishing." Arthur Weasley said, making his way towards the group who was crowding around Hermione with a pot of Floo Powder on his hands. "Lucius took down his wards for one of the fireplaces in his Manor to allow us to Floo there for this special event." Mr. Weasley explained as he handed down the pot to each of them.

One after another, each person climbed into the Weasley's fireplace, and shouted "Malfoy Manor!"

They all stepped on the marble floor of what seemed to be like their Family Room.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor." Lucius and Narcissa greeted, with Draco just standing by their side, completely silent. The Malfoys were taken aback by the number of guest they had in their Family Room. _Oh great, the Weasel came. Goodbye supper. _Draco thought, sending Ginny his signature Malfoy smirk once he locked eyes with her. She just rolled her eyes at him.

He was sending each and every one of his guests a _I'm better looking than you_ look, but when his eyes landed on Hermione, he felt blood rushing in his head. Before he could fall to the ground, his father held him to keep him steady.

"Dinky." Lucius called for the House Elf, "Lead the Weasleys, and others to the dining room." He ordered. Dinky did as he was told, and soon, each of them was walking out the door on their way to the dining room.

The event that has just occurred scared Lucius. Draco nearly losing consciousness in the presence of that Weasley girl confirmed that she was his mate. The more Lucius told himself that she was a pureblood, the more that he was finally accepting her for Draco's mate.

As soon as they were all out of the room, Draco regained his composure and stood up straight; showing his father he didn't need his support.

"Be on your best behavior." Mrs. Malfoy warned her two boys before she made an exit from the Family room. Draco and Lucius soon followed; both not wanting to get on her bad side for the night.

When they arrived in the dining room, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione have already been seated on the table.

Lucius sat on the head of the table, opposite from Mr. Weasley. Draco and Narcissa sat on either side of Lucius. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny sat on either side of Mr. Weasley, with Ron and Hermione on Mrs. Weasley's side, and Harry on Ginny's side.

It was very awkward for Hermione because she had to sit next to Mrs. Malfoy. She thought Harry was lucky because there was one seat between Draco and Harry as a barrier.

Lucius clapped his hands, and at once, food appeared on their plates, just like what happens at Hogwarts.

"What do Muggles say? Dig in." Mrs. Malfoy said, trying to break the awkward tension between both families. Ron didn't need to be told twice, he dug right in, just as he was told.

As they ate, Lucius and Arthur conversed in a conversation about the Ministry, while Narcissa and Molly talked about their husbands. The kids started their own conversation between each other, except for Draco. He felt like an outsider in his own home. _'I should've invited Blaise.'_ He thought to himself, as he played with his food. He looked around the table, seeing everyone talking to each other. Draco saw Hermione laughing at something Ron had said, and this made Draco's blood boil.

Ron placed his hand on top of Hermione's at the same time that Harry did the same with Ginny. Suddenly, a fist had slammed on the table, causing the plates atop it shake. Everyone's eyes fell on Draco; who was now red with anger.

Lucius cleared his throat and locked eyes with his son, Draco immediately calmed down as soon as her mother held his hand.

"Wasn't there a proposal you wanted to speak about Lucius?" Arthur asked, obviously trying to take the attention off of Draco.

Lucius smiled at him, and stood up from the table, as if preparing for a big speech. "Oh yes, the proposal." He repeated.

"My family and I would like to ask your youngest member of the Weasley family, Ginny Weasley, to wed our only son, and Malfoy Heir, Draco," Lucius proposed. Everyone, including Draco choked on their food, especially Ron.

**Oh how I love cliff-hangers. :D what did you guys think? Please review . I really want to know what you guys think of my story. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: This goes for all the chapters. I do not own Harry Potter. The characters and setting and spells and whatnot belong to J.K Rowling. **

**Reviews:**

**coolgems1630: Thank you for the review. I'm confused about your question though. What did you mean by English not being my favorite language? I actually live in the United States, and I speak fluent English. It's my second language. (:**

**Azyvli: about your question, it's all going to happen in this chapter! **

_Chapter 6._

"I told you it was a trap!" Ron turned to his parents, whom looked like they were hit by a stunning spell.

"I will not marry that ferret!" Ginny shouted as she pushed back her chair and stood up. Once she stood up, her parents and Harry did the same. Mrs. Weasley put her arms around Ginny protectively.

"And you won't have to." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said in unison to their youngest child. At their comment, Lucius got angry. A Malfoy never gets rejected, especially by someone as low as the Weasley family. Instead of feeling sad or heartbroken about the rejection Draco received from his suppose to be mate, he actually felt happy.

He even smiled at the thought, and this didn't go unnoticed by his father. "What in Merlin's wand are you smiling about Draco? You just got rejected by your mate, and you dare smile about it…" Lucius didn't complete his sentence for he has just realized that his wife might've been wrong about the young Weasley being his son's mate.

Lucius fell back to his chair at the realization. _There must have been some other girl present in the store with Draco. _Lucius thought. _But who? _He tried his best to remember the exact words his wife told him about the incident, how Potter and his friends…his friends.

"That mudblood…" he whispered, all to himself. He almost fainted if Ron yelling didn't snap him back to reality.

"Let's go Hermione." Ron wrapped his arms around Hermione's wrist and yanked her out of her chair.

"DON'T TOUCH HER, YOU WEASEL." Draco got up and launched himself to Ron, right across the table. Draco didn't know what had gotten in to him as he continued to throw punches at Ron.

When Ron had touch Hermione, its like something went off inside of Draco. His Veela self. His old self would've enjoyed Hermione suffering from the grasp of Ron, but when he saw her flinch in pain once Ron grabbed hold of her wrist, he felt protective of her.

"Get him off me!" Ron cried, trying his best to throw punches at Draco, but miserably failed.

Lucius and Arthur got up and pulled Draco off of Ron, as Hermione just stood there, bewildered with what just happened. _Were they just fighting… over me?_ She asked herself.

Lucius tried his best to restrain his son, but when he held onto him, Draco just growled.

"We apologize. There has been some misunderstanding." Narcissa cut in. "It seems that your daughter isn't Draco's mate." She explained. "You see, we Malfoys' have Veela blood, and Draco's has become dominant, hence his collapse when your daughter held his hand. He had a difficult time breathing because his mate was near." She continued.

"I wasn't the only one around him at the time," Ginny protested. "How can you be so sure it's not Harry or Ron, or better yet, Mr. Montrose, the store owner." She joked, receiving a soft chuckle from Ron and Harry.

Draco realized that she was right; she wasn't the only one that was near him at the time. _Granger…She was looking right into my eyes just before I collapsed. _He told himself.

"Father… is it possible… can she really be my mate?" Draco asked his father. His father knew quickly that his son was talking about Hermione.

"There's only one way to find out son…" Lucius told Draco, as he whispered a demand into his son's ears.

Before they knew it, Draco was making his way to Hermione; who just looked at him as if he was going to attack her.

"What do you…" Before Hermione could even finish her sentence, she was caught off guard when Draco cupped her face with his hands and kissed her.

Everyone just stood there shock to even to anything about it. Hermione tried struggling, but Draco had wrapped his arms around her waist, disabling her from escaping. She soon gave up, and kissed him back.

When Draco had pulled away, both of them had a hard trouble breathing. He simply turned and nodded at his father. When he turned to face Hermione, instead of coming in contact with her face, his cheeks came in contact with her hand.

"How dare you…" Hermione fumed.

"Oh, don't act like you didn't like it." Draco smirked.

"Why you…" Hermione was getting ready her wand, but before she could send a hex towards him, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had stopped her.

"Mum, Dad! We were just getting to the good part." Ron complained. His parents simply rolled his eyes at him, and turned to face Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.

"It was nice of you to invite us, and ask for our daughter's hand in marriage," Mr. Weasley said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "But we best get going now." And with that, each member of the Weasley family, including Harry and Hermione made a beeline towards the fireplace, and Flooed back to the Burrow.

Once they were gone, Narcissa turned back to her husband and son, "Well that went well." She announced, clapping her hands together.

"That is an understatement mother." Draco said. "But I did enjoy it, you should invite them to dinner more often." He suggested as he traced his lips with his fingers.

"I was just getting use to the fact that that Weasley was your mate, now I have that mudblood to worry about tainting our Malfoy line." Lucius began, but he was quickly thrown to the ball by his son.

"Don't ever call her that. Ever again." He spat at his father before making his way back to his bedroom.

"Oh, I remember when you were like that whenever Sirius tried to tease me back when we were at Hogwarts." Mrs. Malfoy said dreamily, not even bothering to help her husband out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: This goes for all the chapters. I do not own Harry Potter. The characters and setting and spells and whatnot belong to J.K Rowling. **

A few days had passed since the incident at the Malfoy Manor.

A few days had passed since Draco had kissed Hermione.

Ron had come to the conclusion that Hermione was traumatized by the past events because of they way she was silent on the whole train ride to Hogwarts. The reality was that Hermione was just confused about everything. After the kiss with Malfoy, she'd been feeling this pain in her chest, as if there was a hole cut from her heart. _Literally. _

It's not just that, but she'd been feeling quite lonesome, almost abandoned, in the past few days. She couldn't explain what was happening to her, she'd basically gone through every book she owns, and yet, she still can't find the answers to why she was feeling the way she was.

If things weren't confusing enough already, the pain in her chest, and the feeling for abandonment withdrew the moment she step foot on the Hogwarts Express. The pain was still there, but it wasn't quite as excruciating as it was when Hermione was at home, or at the Burrow for the remaining of the summer.

Unexpectedly, a feeling of ease washed over Hermione, and the pain in her chest vanished completely. She just didn't know how. Without time to contemplate what just occurred, a voice broke her train of thought.

"Mind if I sit with you guys on the way to the castle?" Draco asked them. Ron's face was red with rage. He was about to jump off of his seat, and say something to Draco that will probably get him a Howler, but Harry, being the man he is, pinned him down to his seat.

"Uhm, sure. Why not." Harry responded, making his way to the empty seat next to Hermione, but Draco already got to it.

Harry wanted to tell Draco to sit next to Neville instead because he knew how uncomfortable this must be for Hermione, but when he saw Hermione breathe out a sigh of relief, he just let it go.

It didn't go unnoticed to Harry when Hermione looked like she was in pain, but when she was in close proximity with Malfoy, she seemed to look a first year who was glad they weren't sorted into Slytherin.

The carriage ride to the castle was silent, until Draco decided to speak up.

"How was your summer, Hermione?" He asked, which made Hermione tense up next to him. Harry and Ron quickly snapped their head at Draco's direction, surprised to see their enemy trying to make small talk with their Hermione.

The question had taken Hermione aback, and she didn't know how to respond to it. Something inside her wanted to confide in Draco the pain she had been going through; she wanted to divulge all her feelings of feeling secluded to him.

"It was alright, I guess." Hermion answered back timidly.

"Do anything interesting?" Draco asked, trying to keep the conversation going. Over the remaining days of summer; after he had initiated a kiss with Hermione, Draco had done a lot of thinking. It was the last year of Hogwarts, and after they graduate, he knew for sure there was no way of keeping in touch with Hermione, unless he got to know her more.

So that's what he was trying to accomplish; getting to know his mate before it was too late. His father was angry, none the less, about his choice of mate, but Draco enlightened his father that he literally didn't have a choice. _The heart wants what it wants. _Draco couldn't command the inner Veela in him to choose a different mate, so he to an agreement with himself that he would try and give the Gryffindor a chance.

He was still a Slytherin at heart, and he wasn't going to let a Gryffindor turn him into mush. No way in hell.

"Just some summer reading, and Quidditch with the boys. Nothing really interesting." Hermione didn't want to educate Draco about how she traveled Australia with her two best friends in search of her lost parents who knew nothing about her. And it was all her doing.

They were quite successful though; a week later, they located Hermione's parents, and restored their memory of their daughter, and their old life back in London. Hermione's parents had trouble trusting her ever since they regained their memory, but they also understood that she did what she did for their own good.

"Nothing interesting?" Ron roared in excitement. "If beating our dear Harry at Quidditch isn't interesting enough for you 'Mione, then I don't know what is." Ron huffed.

It had been a small game of Quidditch, which took place in the field near the Burrow, girls versus boys.

Ginny and Hermione were against Ron and Harry, which was total bonkers considering that both Ron and Harry were on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

In a sense, it was more of a brother-sister rivalry with Ginny and Ron since they were both the chasers in the game, which made Hermione the seeker on the girl's team.

Quidditch wasn't really Hermione's thing, but she did love to fly, and she was good at it, maybe even better than her best friends. She didn't make a dig deal out of it though, knowing that Harry or Ron will just force her to join the Gryffindor Quidditch if they found out her skills in flying.

"You beat, Potter?" Draco asked rhetorically. "I've been going against Potter for six years, and I haven't managed to beat him in a game." He continued. "You have to teach me how you do it." Draco was serious, and he was hoping that Hermione would take him up on his offer. He was looking forward to spending as much time with her, and if that meant decreasing his pride to be taught by a girl how to beat your opponent in a game you've been playing your whole life, then so bloody be it.

"She won't even confide in me her secrets to beating Harry, and I'm her best friend. What makes you think she's gonna teach you!" Ginny argued, and the boys nodded their head in agreement.

"There's no secret, Gin. I'm just better than Harry at being a Seeker. No doubt about it." Hermione winked. "And she's right you know," She began, turning her body to face Draco. "What makes you think I want to share with you my secret on how to win?" Hermione continued. "I don't want Slytherin winning the Quidditch matches against Gryffindor, now would I?" She addressed.

They began to make their way off the carriage as it came to a stop.

"At least come flying with me sometime." Draco offered, still sitting in the carriage, watching Hermione make her way inside with her friends.

She turned around, and shot Draco a smirk. "As long you promise not to knock me off my broom." Hermione teased. Harry and Ron stared at her as if she just grew two heads.

"Promise!" Draco called out.

"See you soon, then." And with that, Hermione ran to catch up with her friends. But when she did, she was bombarded with questions to why she agreed to go flying with Draco.

"She's gone bonkers." She heard Ron whisper to Harry.

**Sorry for the long wait. And sorry if you guys notice any errors in my writing. I wanted publish this chapter as fast as I can for you guys. I hope you guys liked it, and keep at it with the reviews.**

**Reviews=Faster time for me to get the next chapter up. (; **


	8. Chapter 8

**I understand Hermione and Draco were a bit OOC on the last chapter, but this should clear things up. And on Chapter 7, they weren't on the train when Draco asked to sit with them. They were on the carriages with the thestrals. **

_Chapter 8_

_**Great Hall**_

"Why didn't ride with us in the carriage on the way to the castle, Draco?" asked Blaise. Pansy turned her head to face Draco, also wanting an answer to the question.

Draco didn't understand why his friends were so nosy. But he understood that Blaise was just trying to look out for him. The lost of Crabbe during the Battle of Hogwarts both left them both traumatized.

Although the three of them did not share the same relationship as the Golden Trio, Draco still thought of them as his best friends.

Being raised as a pureblood, he didn't really have much choice who to befriend. Every half-blood or muggle-born that Draco tried to befriend during his younger years would just walk away from him, without getting to know him better.

Maybe that's what caused Draco to be who he is. He felt rejected and alone, so he committed himself to torturing those around him.

"I forgot something back in the train, so I had to walk back to the castle." Draco misinformed.

Blaise just shrugged him off, but Pansy on the other hand had her hands all over him once he notified her about having to walk just a long distance.

Despite the fact that his friend might've changed as a result of the Hogwarts Battle, Draco grasp the realization that they would not be so thrilled with Draco hanging around with the Golden Trio.

"Oh Drakey, are you tired? We can head to the common room and get some sleep." Asked Pansy innocently, but Draco became aware that this was just one of Pansy's attempts to make him sleep with her.

Blaise picked up on what Pansy was trying to get Draco to do, and he laughed at the thought of Pansy's poor pursuit of trying to get Draco to bed her.

They were all friends, but Blaise believed Pansy's obsession with Draco was transparently unhealthy.

Draco shook his head acknowledging Pansy's question. She was going to divulge him with a reply, but was interrupted by the Headmistress trying to make an announcement.

The first years were already sorted, so Draco concluded that Headmistress Mcgonagall was going to deliver her beginning of the year speech.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" She began. Thereafter, she went on about the dangers of the Forbidden Forest and how the students weren't allowed near it, but the students and teachers knew that none of the students abide by that rule. "We all have been through a difficult time during these past months with the lost of many acquaintances and family members in result of the return of Voldemort." The Headmistress continued. "I would like all of you to give a moment of silent to those who have sacrificed themselves to protect their loved ones against the Dark Lord, and to those who were killed and tortured by his followers." And with that, the Great Hall became completely silent as the drapes on the wall, and the hangings representing all the houses turned black symbolizing mourning.

Every one was quiet for a few minutes, and some were trying their best to hold back their tears, but weren't successful.

Draco looked around at how many of his peers were silently mourning their lost loved ones. Seeing everyone, Slytherin included, looking so hurt made him feel guilty because he knew his father and himself were involve in Voldemort's doing. In respect to those who have departed, he put in his head down, and stayed silent until the Headmistress interrupted.

"Now with that out of the way," McGonagall said, wiping her tears in the process. "I would like to congratulate Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, for they have been selected to be the new Head Girl and Head Boy." With that, her speech ended.

Their peers clapped and cheered for them, but Draco knew that they were all cheering for Hermione, who truly deserve to be Head Girl.

Hermione just smiled when every one started congratulating her. She felt very uncomfortable with the attention. Being the top of every class, she saw this coming, but she was bewildered to how or why Draco was Head Boy.

"Malfoy as Head Boy?" Ron screamed out. "McGonagall is even more bonkers than Dumbledore." He concluded.

Harry realizing that Hermione would have to share a dormitory with Malfoy, he decided to speak up. "Hermione, I think it's best if we go speak to McGonagall about your living arrangements. They might've allowed Malfoy back into the school, but that doesn't mean he's not dangerous at all." He reasoned. "Ron and I won't be there to protect you if Malfoy is plotting anything." Ron nodded in agreement.

"I see where you're trying to get at Harry, honestly I do." Hermione said. "But don't you think you guys are overreacting a bit?" She asked.

"We're just trying to look out for you, 'Mione." Ron declared.

"Alright. If it'll make it easier for you guys to sleep knowing that I'm safe, I'll speak to McGonagall when she meets with Malfoy and I about our Head duties." It wasn't that she didn't want to share a common room with Malfoy; she believed every one deserved a second chance and all that, but she still didn't trust the guy who tormented her, her whole life.

_**Later that day….**_

"Miss. Granger, there is a reason to why I assigned Mr. Malfoy to be Head Boy." After Draco left their meeting, Hermione took it as a chance to talk to the Headmistress about what was troubling her. "There are still many death eaters in hiding, and the Order of Phoenix believe that Draco might have contact with them.' Despite the fact that Hermione was grateful to the Headmistress for trusting her with the information of such, she didn't understand what this had to do with her living arrangements with Malfoy. "If not Draco, then his father."

McGonagall saw the perplex expression on Hermione's face, and decided to enlighten her further. "What I'm trying to inform you about Miss Granger is that we want you to observe Mr. Malfoy's movements and report back to us if you find that he is up to something suspicious." She finished. Hermione put things together and understood that they wanted her to spy on Draco, and invade his privacy.

"I'm not really comfortable invading someone's privacy Headmistress." She repeated; this time, aloud.

"You won't be invading his privacy my dear." She reasoned. "You'll simply befriend him until he trusts you enough to give you knowledge of his doings." Hermione thought this was even worse than invading his privacy.

The plan of the Headmistress was too Slytherin for Hermione's liking. Hermione had doubts about what she was being asked to do, but as a member of the Order of Phoenix, she agreed.

She decided that she would remain friends with Malfoy after she got what she wanted. By doing this, it eased her conscience knowing that she wasn't just trying to be his friend to spy on him.

_But that's exactly why you're befriending him, my dear. _Someone said deep inside of Hermione's conscience.

Hermione reasoned back with herself. She was already planning to be friends with Malfoy and give him a second chance, she just needed a push, and that's exactly what McGonagall provided for her.

**A/N So I understand that my chapters are short. Sorry about that. Haha, they're only about 1000+ words each chapter. **

**I decided to make this more fun!**

**20 Reviews = The next chapter. **

**I won't be updating until 20 reviews are submitted.**

**I'm a Slytherin at heart, what can I say?(:**

**The more reviews, ** **the longer the next chapter will be. I promise. :D**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9: **_

_**A/N So I understand that Hermione is scared of flying, I know that. But that's how she's potrayed in like almost every Dramione fic! I don't want that, and I have many flying dramione moments up my sleeve.**_

Hermione knew she wasn't ready to face Malfoy yet after what McGonagall asked her to do, so she decided to head to the Gryffindor tower, and spend the night with Ginny.

She figured to let Harry and Ron in on what she was being asked to do, just in case they started questioning her about why she was "fraternizing with the enemy."

Hermione found all her friends socializing in the common room. Every one greeted her, but soon left afterwards, leaving only Harry, Ron, and her in the comforts of the Gyffindor common room.

"What's up, 'Mione?" Harry questioned, patting the empty space on the couch next to him, signaling Hermione to sit.

"I went to speak to McGonagall about my living arrangements with Malfoy as you guys advised me to do," Hermione began. "And well… You'll never guess what she asked me to do!" Hermione went on in detail explaining the predicament she got herself into. She gushed on about her complaints as to why the Order chose her to spy on Malfoy, and they comforted her as she went on about her fears of messing it up.

"Malfoy will never see it coming." Hermione stared at Ron and wondered how he could say something so dense after she spilled her hearts out to them. Ron turned to look at Harry to know if he had to a clue to why Hermione was staring at him like that. Harry just shrugged him off and turned his attention back to Hermione.

"Don't listen to him, Mione." Harry always knew what to say at times like these. "We'll have your back through this whole thing." She smiled at his loyalty. "Ron and I will even try to be civil with Malfoy if it'll make things easier for you." Ron stared at Harry dumfounded to what his best friend just suggested them to do.

Hermione saw the whole exchange, but chose to ignore it. She hugged them goodnight, "Thanks guys. You're the best." She said, bestowing both of them with a kiss on the cheek.

Lavender watched in the background listening to every thing Hermione shared with Harry and Ron. She thought it was a good idea, and planned to let it go and head to her dormitory for the night, but her decision shifted when she saw Hermione plant one on her _Won-Won. _

She was beyond jealous. Ever since complications aroused with her relationship with Ron back in fifth year, she began to detest Hermione because she convinced herself that Hermione was trying to steal her man from her.

Lavender had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to get back at _Little Miss Perfect, _and what better do it than sabotaging her friendship with Malfoy.

After the boys left the common room, Lavender made her way in front of the fireplace to begin plotting. She thought it would be best to strike when Malfoy and Hermione were getting really close. If she got lucky, they might even fall for each other.

_Even better. _Lavender thought to herself.

With the events that occurred yesterday, Hermione didn't even think to bring spare clothes to the Gryffindor Tower; where she spent the night.

This left her no choice but to go back to the Heads' Dormitory. It was very early in the morning when Hermione snuck her way out of the Gryffindor Tower. If she was fortunate enough, she was hoping that Draco wouldn't be awake and wandering the common room so Hermione could head to her bedroom without having to offer an explanation to her whereabouts last night.

Hermione should've guessed that with her luck, everything she hoped for would turn out to be the complete opposite. There was really no point in making a silent getaway to her bedroom because once she entered the common room; she spotted Malfoy sitting on the armchair near the fire place.

She had expected him to yell at her for her disappearance act and threaten to report her to the Headmistress for sneaking out, but the arms wrapped around her waist took her by surprise. She didn't even notice Malfoy get off his seat by the time he had his arms around her, holding her close to his bare chest.

"Where have you been? I was worried sick about you." Draco looked frantic, which was a surprise to Hermione.

_This might be easier than I thought. _She thought to herself as Draco held her, trying to inspect for damage.

"Didn't know you cared so much, Malfoy. How touching." She teased.

"Of course I care about you. You're my mate for crying out loud!" This took Hermione by surprise. During their visit at the Malfoy Manor, Draco mentioned something to his father about Hermione being his mate, but Hermione thought he was just messing with her to get under Harry and Ron's skin.

"I'm your what?" Hermione gasped.

"Look, I don't have time to explain everything to you. We have to get ready for class." He explained. "But I'd really like it if we could talk about this while we're flying tonight?" He certainly didn't forget that Hermione accepted his offer to go flying with him sometime, and he figured today was the most convenient.

"Sure…" Hermione figured she might as well get started on her "assignment" from McGonagall.

Draco smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Mind if I walk you to class?" He asked. Draco figured since they both had Advance Potions during their first hour, she wouldn't mind walking with him to class. He really hoped she would say yes, it would give him more time with her, and it'll ease the pain in his chest.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Hermione answered as she made her way up to her bedroom to get ready.

Seeing as their first class was taking place in the dungeons, and the Heads' dorm was located all the way on the seventh floor, Hermione and Draco had lots of time to talk.

They simply talked about every thing. It was confusing Hermione how much comfortable she felt around Draco.

"You had fancied Millicent Bulstrode during first year?" They didn't even know how they got to this topic. At first, they were discussing the time Hermione threw a punch at Draco in third year, now suddenly; they were on the topic of Draco's first crush.

Hermione was clutching her sides from laughing. If Draco continued to make her laugh like this, it wouldn't be long until tears start to run down her face.

"Look who's talking Hermione Longbottom." Earlier in the discussion, Hermione mentioned to Draco about her little crush on Neville during second year. She just knew he wasn't going to let it go.

"Touché." She responded, walking into the Advance Potion's class room, finding it empty.

Hermione made her way to the middle tables, and prepared her books for class.

"Partners?" Before she could answer, Draco already took the seat next to her.

"No, go away." She joked in the act of trying to push Draco further away from her.

Draco faked a hurt expression, "Is that how you treat all your friends?" He asked, looking hurt.

_Mission Accomplished. _Hermione thought in her head.

"I guess we are friends now, Malfoy." She smiled at him.

"Do you call all your friends by their last name?" He asked because somehow, he knew that she would start calling him by his first name.

"I'm sorry, Draco." His name rolled out of her tongue as if she's been saying it her whole life.

They both smiled at each other, glad about their newly developed friendship.

Students began piling into their seats. In the back row, Lavender watched as Draco and Hermione worked together to brew Veritaserum. She saw how the two seemed to get along with each other, and observed how Hermione would blush when Draco made her laugh.

The wheels on her brain began spinning as she thought of the perfect plan to expose Draco to the truth of Hermione just using him to get information.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron did what they both promised to Hermione, they were seated behind them, also watching the two.

They made sure that Malfoy wouldn't do anything to harm their Golden Girl. Harry had to hold back Ron several times to stop him from attacking Malfoy for getting along with their Hermione so quickly.

"This is going easier than we thought." Harry told Ron.

Lavender overhead them, "You have no idea." She muttered under her breath.

**Here's your chapter 9 just as I promised guys! Thanks for the reviews. The same rule applies for the next chapter also.**

**20 reviews= Chapter 10.**

**I hoped you enjoyed, and I apologize for any punctuation errors. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **I've been replying to almost all the reviews through private messaging, are you guys getting any of the replies? Just wondering. Also someone advised for me to make it 10 reviews for the next chapter instead of 20, but to whoever that was, I get what you're saying, and thank you, but I get at least 10 reviews on ONE day for this story, and ONE day isn't enough for me to write the next chapter.

**Chapter 10**

After attaining the books Hermione needed in the library, she headed to the Heads' dorm to work on her homework. Although, when she sat on the couch to get started, her eyes wandered on a note left on the coffee table in the middle of the common room.

_Hermione_

_Meet me in the Quidditch field at 6. Bring a broom._

_D.M_

Hermione glanced at the grandfather clock positioned in the corner of the room. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was already a quarter to six. She ran up to her room to get ready frantically.

_15 minutes to get ready! _She thought as she rummaged to every article of clothing she owned.

With a pair of jeans in her hands, she stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't understand why she was so anxious about what to wear. It wasn't like she was going on a date with Malfoy, she thought. He just wanted to clear things up about her being his mate, she reassured.

After deciding that she didn't want to dress up for Malfoy, she threw on a pair of black skinny jeans, and a simple knitted sweater.

A while after Hermione fetched her _Firebolt _from her secret hiding place in her closet, she debated on whether she should walk there, or just fly out the window.

Realizing that she only had five minutes left to get to the field, she opened the latch to her window, and flew off.

Everyone thought that she disliked flying because of her lack of skills on it during first year, but in truth, she enjoyed how the wind blew in her face while she was flying.

In her opinion, flying was her way of meditating. _Calm and relaxing. _

She hovered over the Quidditch pitch, debating whether she should go to Malfoy alone, or flying over to the Gryffindor tower to fetch Harry and Ron for backup.

She figured she was a minute too late, when she heard Draco calling her name from down under her motioning her to land.

"Aren't we supposed to be flying?" She yelled as loud as she could. "That's what I'm doing!" Draco must've heard her, because he hopped onto what seemed to be the newest version of the _Firebolt _and took off to where Hermione was hovering.

"Hello there, Hermione." He smiled at her, eyeing her broom.

"Hello, Draco." She responded.

"How 'bout a lap around the field, then we can discuss the matter of you being my mate?" Hermione thought he was so straight-forward, but she reluctantly agreed.

She observed how Draco's face seemed to light up when his speed increased, the same with hers. It was a slow flight in the beginning. Hermione ended up winning the race Draco challenged her at the end, but she had a feeling, he lost on purpose to get on her good side.

They dove down to the bleachers to have their talk. It was awkward at first because neither of them knew how to begin the conversation.

"I'm part Veela." Draco blurted out. Hermione stared at him dumbfounded, wondering to why Draco was sharing this information with her. "My father informed me that I have to find my mate, and mark her before my next birthday, which is in less than nine months." He continued to explain. Hermione took a while to comprehend what Draco was trying to tell her was serious, and not just a joke. "Or else I will die." He sighed. "But I have found my mate, and that's you Hermione." His face lightened up.

If Draco thought she was going accept this right here, and right now, he was completely wrong. Sure, Hermione wanted to befriend him, but that didn't mean she wanted to be bonded with him for life. According to the books she read up on Veelas, she found out they were to mate before they turned eighteen. They were also very protective of their mate.

It was also impossible to resist a Veela bond without inflicting pain on yourself. The Veela gene begins searching for its mate once they are of age.

Hermione didn't want to be bonded with the boy who tortured her ever since they were ten years old. He might've changed, but it still didn't change the fact that he was one of Voldemort's followers.

"Sorry, Draco. I can't be your mate. There has to be a mistake. I'm not pureblood." She refused to accept Draco as her mate. She refused to be a Malfoy.

"There's no mistake, Hermione." He cried. "We're perfect for each other. Intelligent and magic alike." He explained.

Draco took her hands in his, "Please, Hermione. You can't let me die." She couldn't believe he was trying to use the guilt trick on her.

"How dare you guilt me into accepting you as my mate!" She stood up and snatched her broom from the bottom bleacher.

Just as she was about to take off, Draco grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a kiss. Once their lips met, it was like they were both electrocuted, but that didn't stop Draco from kissing her.

Draco didn't know what possessed him to kiss her, but once he did, he didn't regret it one bit. He noticed how soft her lips were, and how she tasted like strawberries. His arms gripped her tighter when she tried to struggle. When she stopped struggling, Draco took this as a chance to lick her bottom lip, asking for permission to enter.

Hermione didn't know what she was thinking when she parted her lips, giving Draco full access. When Draco's tongue began making its way into her mouth as they kissed, Hermione somehow broke out of a trance, and she pushed away from him.

They both looked at each, panting for the lack of air. "Bloody hell." Draco muttered under his breath. He has kissed many girls in his many years in Hogwarts, but none of them compared to the spark he felt when he kissed Hermione.

"That was the second time you kissed me without my permission, you bloody prick." Hermione wanted nothing more than to curse him, but she didn't have the Gryffindor courage to do it.

"It didn't seem like you were complaining." Draco smirked.

Hermione was _very _frustrated with him. Their friendship was going better than they both expected, but Draco had to go on and ruin it for the both of them by declaring Hermione as his mate.

He would want her to accept, but she just couldn't. Although, Hermione felt very comfortable with him, they barely knew each other.

Even if Draco was trying to guilt her in to accepting, she knew what he said was true. She didn't want his death to be in her hands; however, she wanted to get to know him better too.

_I'm going bonkers, just thinking about it. _Hermione thought. She was tied with two decisions; denying him, and watch him die, or get to know him before accepting.

Despite the fact that Malfoy was Malfoy, she decided to go with the latter.

"I don't want to be your mate, Draco." She admitted. "But I'm not going to watch you die either." He let out a sigh of relief. "I propose a compromise." Draco stared at her dumbfounded, so she continued on. "Like you said, you still have nine months before you're deadline, so I propose we get to know each other better before we rush into things." She finished.

Draco didn't want to die, but he understood what Hermione was trying to convey. He found it unfair how she didn't choose him as her mate, so the least he could do was grant what she wanted.

"If that's what you wish, Hermione. But you have to give me an answer two months before my birthday." Hermione looked at him questioningly. "If I'm going to die, I would want time to prepare my funeral." He explained.

Hermione smiled at his fail attempt to ease the seriousness. "You've got yourself a deal, Draco." And with that, Hermione took off on her broom to report to McGonagall about what just happened.

Draco got on his broom also, and made his way to their common room to write a letter informing his mother and father about Hermione's compromise.

**A/N: **What did you guys think?

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SlytherinTribute12


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Y'll want a possessive Veela in Draco, well here you go. And, for my Spanish reviewer thank god for google translate. Thanks for reviewing guys.

**Chapter 11: **

Meanwhile, in the Headmistress's office, Hermione informed McGonagall about her current situation. She explained to her past Transfiguration professor how she was destined to be with Draco due to his Veela genes.

Somewhere in the middle of Hermione's confession, she felt sort of guilty for exposing Draco's personal life to Professor McGonagall. But she got over it, knowing she had the right because she was part of his life from now on, whether she liked it or not.

"You can back out, my dear." McGonagall offered. Hermione looked at her with a perplexed expression. _Back out from what? _"You don't have to keep pretending to be his friend. If you two are destined for each other, one of you will get hurt along the way when he finds out your friendship was a false one." She explained.

Hermione understood what Professor McGonagall was trying to convey, but if Hermione was being honest with herself, the friendship she now has with Draco wasn't false. Ever since the beginning, Hermione wanted to befriend Draco.

She was just looking for an excuse to go through with it. Then Professor McGonagall came along in the perfect timing with her proposal to Hermione.

Truthfully, Hermione started to notice Draco during sixth year. She noticed how isolated he became with his friends. One time, she followed him into the girl's bathroom where Moaning Myrtle was residing.

_Flashback_

_Hermione witnessed her arch enemy escaping the girl's bathroom with tears on his eyes. She noticed his wet hair, and she predicted that he was trying to wash his face to make it seem like he wasn't crying._

_But Hermione knew better. She thought running after him was a stupid idea, fully knowing that if she tried to comfort him, he would just call her names._

_Instead, she snuck into Moaning Myrtle's terrene, determined to get an answer from her instead. _

"_It was quite sad, if you ask me." She sobbed, her cries echoing around the bathroom walls. "I tried to comfort him, I really did. But he kept shooing me away." Myrtle whined._

"_Do you know the reason to his depression?" I asked her nicely. _

"_I told you, every time I tried to comfort him, he shooed me away!" She shrieked. "But every time he would come here to shed tears, he would mutter the same exact thing over and over. 'I can't do it.'" Myrtle replied calmly, as if she didn't just yell at Hermione a few seconds ago. _

_End of Flashback_

Of course it wasn't until Dumbledore's limp body lay on the grounds of Hogwarts that Hermione realized what Draco meant when he kept muttering _"I can't do it." _

Harry had explained to her how Draco expressed to Dumbledore how Voldemort was going to hurt his family if he didn't eliminate the late Headmaster. He explained how Draco backed out the last minute, having Snape to finish his dirty work, sending Professor Dumbledore flying down the Astronomy Tower.

That was when Hermione fully realized that Draco Malfoy wasn't as evil and a prat as he made himself to be.

"Thank you for understanding, Professor." Hermione knew she didn't want her friendship to be with Malfoy to made up of complete lies. She felt bad for having to use him to get information. She figured McGonagall was right about one of them ending up getting hurt in the hurt, and she didn't want that for either one of them.

With that being cleared up, she bid her Headmistress a goodnight, and headed to the Heads' dorm, which she shared with her new friend.

**Draco's POV**

I was debating for a long time on whether I should address the letter to my mother or father. Since the letter consisted of an explanation to how Hermione rejected me, I figured it would be best to send it to my mother.

My father would see it eventually, but at least my mother would be supportive and not jump into _Pureblood Royalty _mode like I believe my father would do.

It didn't take long to receive a reply. Deep down, I was disappointed to have received a letter back from my father first.

_Dear Draco,_

_How dare that mudblood deny you? She should be grateful to have a Malfoy as a mate. We're not so thrilled either. Our only child producing a Malfoy heir with a mudblood, outrageous. I think better you die than taint the Malfoy blood._

_Your Father._

From reading the response I got from my father, I was beginning to regret informing him about my rejection with Hermione. My father was always hateful towards non-magic. I was use to it by now.

He's put me through so many shit ever since I was born, and I wasn't going to let him tell me what to do with my life any longer.

Every one thought I had it easy since I was showered with my family's wealth, but if they only knew how my own father treated me every time I came home for the holidays, they would be showering me with their pity and sympathy.

And that's exactly what I didn't want my peers doing, so I put on a bully-act in front of the whole school. I'd rather have every one fear me than think I was weak.

I'd had a rough life, especially during sixth year when I was ordered to kill that old loon. I was close to losing my sanity. I even resulted into hurting myself, but I couldn't force myself to do severe damage because I didn't want my mother to worry.

She always knew what to say, and her letter proved that.

_Dear Draco,_

_Don't listen to the bollocks your father has to say. I understand that Hermione doesn't want to rush things, which is completely reasonable seeing as you and her were arch enemies. Give the girl some time. From her visit at the Manor over the summer, I can tell that she's a lovely girl, and I welcome her to the family. I'd like to meet her as soon as she's ready to accept you._

_With all my love,_

_Your mother_

If I was being honest with myself right, Hermione and my mother are the most important people to me, and I don't share.

Must be why I was an only child. I was selfish, and a total prick, but that's what made me who I am. Just because I no longer followed my father's pureblood ways, there was no changing the fact that I will always a conniving Slytherin at heart.

And a Slytherin always gets what he or she wants, and right now, all I want is Hermione. If giving up the Malfoy name for her, I would.

Hell, I would even make nice with Potter and Weasley if that's all it took for her to trust and accept me as her mate.

**Third-Person POV**

Hermione slept better that night, not having to carry the weight of guilt on her shoulders every time she tried to initiate a conversation with Malfoy.

While Hermione was upstairs getting ready for another day for classes, Draco was downstairs, already dressed, in a very awkward situation.

"Where's _our _ Hermione?" Ron turned his head, searching the room for his friend. Draco got infuriated with the Weasley using the words our and Hermione in the same sentence. He thought if anyone had any right to claim Hermione, it would be him. He's not saying that he will, because that is just plain disrespectful to woman. He might've been raised into a crappy family, but they taught him proper pureblood etiquette.

"Your Hermione?" Draco spat. "Since when was she yours to claim?" He yelled at them, mostly at Weasley, knowing Harry hadn't said a word to him since he walked in.

"Yes, because she's mine!" Ron argued back.

"She's not yours to claim!" Draco shouted with pure anger.

_Didn't this dunderhead know not to ever claim a Veela's mate as his own? Tut. Tut. Looks like Weasley was looking for trouble. Well, I'm going to give it to him. _Draco thought.

Before Draco could even get out his wand to go through what he was planning to do with Weasley's face, Hermione's strawberry vanilla scent filled the air.

Being a Veela, Draco's senses were heightened to the extreme, but they were most sensitive when it came to his mate.

"Yes, Ronald. Draco's right. I'm not yours to claim." Hermione stomped her way over to where the boys were standing. "Last time I checked, I was never yours to claim in the first place!" Hermione exploded. "If there's anyone here who should be claiming me, it'd be Draco." After having said that, she stomped out of the common room, making her way to her first class.

Draco was left with Harry and Ron in the exact spot where Hermione had left them, all wearing the same shock expression.

Harry and Ron were clueless to what Hermione meant, but Draco was beyond ecstatic. He didn't know what made Hermione say that, but he was glad at their progress.

She might've just said it at the spur of the moment, but Draco could care less. She said it, and he happily made his way to class.

**A/N: **Don't hate me. It sucks. Draco is OOC, yeah yeah yeah. And I wanted to write my own book ? Im such a disappointment to the whole Fanfiction community. Shame on me! Damn writer's block.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **You guys are lucky and I love you that I'm writing this chapter on 4th of July. LOLjk. Fireworks aren't until tonight, so I got nothing better to do. Enjoy lovelies!

**Chapter 12**

After the incident in the common room, Harry and Ron ran after Hermione to ask her about what she meant about Draco having the right to claim her. The class hasn't started yet so Harry and Ron left their normal seats on the other side of the room to talk to Hermione.

"It was just an act, guys." Hermione lied. She knew how well her friends took the news about befriending Malfoy because it was a mission from the Order, but if they found out that she was his mate, they would have his head.

Lavender was seated two seats behind the Golden Trio so she clearly overheard them talking about Malfoy. When Hermione began explaining to the boys that some event that occurred in their common room was just an act, Lavender left the classroom quickly in search of the blond-haired Slytherin.

"Do you guys think he would still want to be my friend if I took your guys' side?" Hermione explained, not aware of the Slytherin Prince standing behind her. "I was just playing along; you guys know I'll always take your side, not Malfoy." She wrapped her arm around her two best friends. She knew it was cruel of her to lie to them, but she really needed her friends right now. They've been through too much to let Malfoy ruin it all by being a Veela.

Professor Slughorn, the new Potions teacher, walked in as the class began so Harry and Ron made their way back to their seats.

The seat next to Hermione was empty; she was searching the room for Malfoy, but he was no where to be found.

After hearing Hermione confessing her friendship with Draco was just an act, he stomped out of the Potions classroom, and made his way to the dungeons.

"What's the matter, mate?" Blaise, who had first hour free, asked. He was worried for his friend when he came stomping into the Slytherin's common room looking like a mad man.

"She played me!" Draco dropped onto his knees in front of the fire place as tears began to pour from his eyes. If Blaise knew what his friend was talking about, he might've accused Draco of being over-dramatic, but Draco was really hurt. He thought Hermione was different from all the other girls, he thought she was special, but he was wrong.

All his life, every one lied to him just to be friends with the Slytherin Prince. Every girl he shagged just wanted him for his money.

After having Lavender explain everything to him just before he stomped out of the Potions classroom, he found out Hermione just wanted to be his friend for information. His own mate lied to him!

"She said she would give our friendship a try." Draco began to ramble. "She said she would give me a chance, but it was all an act, Blaise!" Although Blaise didn't know what his friend was rambling about, he still listened. Being Draco's best friend, he knew all the shit Draco had to go through with his whole life, and sometimes, he truly felt sorry for him.

"You know I'm listening mate, but I can't really give an input to what you're talking about unless you explain to me about what the hell got your knickers in a twist." Blaise listened as Draco informed him about everything from him being a Veela, to Hermione being his mate.

"Yesterday, I told her I was to die if she didn't accept me as her mate," Draco cried. "And she said she was willing to give me a try." He explained. "But today, I overheard her talking to the two dunderheads about how it was all an act." Draco finished.

"Granger doesn't seem like the girl to lie to gain something from someone." Blaise argued. His family being on the neutral side during the war, Blaise didn't really have a problem with muggleborns. "You should talk to her about it, and let her explain herself." He advised Draco.

"So she could lie to me, again?" Draco rhetorically asked. "Not going to happen, mate!"

As the two Slytherins made their way to their next classroom, a small figure from the distance was calling out Draco's name.

Draco couldn't recognize him or her from afar until the small figure was just a few feet away from him.

"Hello Draco, Blaise." Hermione, the small figure, greeted them. Draco just ignored her, so she took this as a sign to keep talking. "Where were you during Potions. My potion nearly exploded because you weren't there to help me." She teased.

Draco took a step aside, and began walking away. Hermione stared dumbfounded at his retreating figure.

"What's his problem?" She asked Blaise, who was still on the same spot as he was.

"Lying, conniving Gryffindors is his problem, Granger." With that, Blaise retreated to follow his friend to their next class.

Blaise's words stabbed Hermione where it hurt the most, her conscience. Being the Head Girl, she didn't want to set a bad example for the younger students, so before the waterworks came, she ran to the Black Lake.

**Draco's POV**

I couldn't find words to say to Hermione, knowing, that if I said a word to her, it would've been "I forgive you."

Instead of speaking to her, I found myself walking away.

"She looked really guilty, mate." Blaise repeated again once they were in the Transfiguration classroom.

"She should be." I answered smugly.

It was during the middle of the lesson when I began to feel scared. We were learning how to inanimate objects into living things, which I'm telling you is nothing to be scared about, so I couldn't understand why I was feeling this way.

From his understandings to what his father informed him about the downsides of having a mate, it was said that what ever the mate feels, so does the Veela.

That's why they were so protective over their mate; if their mate got injured, the Veela could feel the pain too. Emotional or physical.

Hermione suddenly popped into my head after my realization about Veelas. She was scared, and I wanted nothing more than to find her. Although she lied to me, I still felt a string pulling me to her, telling me to forgive her.

I excused myself out of class without informing the professor when the fear inside me began to build up.

My feet brought me to the forest on the edge of the Black Lake, somehow.

"I'm going to kill you, Hermione Granger." I perked up at the sound of my mate's name. I followed where the voice was coming from, and found Hermione on the ground, with Lavender pointing her wand at her.

**Hermione's POV**

When she made it to the edge, her body slumped against a tree. Knowing that Draco knew the truth, she was clouded with guilt. With her head positioned between her knees, she began to cry. Not for herself, but for hurting Draco.

It would've made the situation easier for Hermione if Draco just regressed to his old prick self. Having him call her names would've been a whole lot better than receiving the silent treatment.

"How does it feel, Granger?" A voice called out, pulling Hermione out of her train of thought. "Does it feel as bad when my Won-Won left me for Miss Golden Girl here?" Hearing the awful nickname for Ron, Hermione didn't need to look up to know the voice belonged to Lavender.

"What are you going on about, Lavender?" Hermione choked in between her sobs.

"You stole Won-Won from me, so I told Malfoy about your friendship act." Lavender huffed proudly. She was now standing in front of Hermione's fetal position against a tree.

Hermione looked up at Lavender, her eyes red and swollen from the tears she just shed. "How could you? That was Order business, you shouldn't have meddled!" Hermione was now standing up, yelling at Lavender for her wrong-doing.

"You are just bloody mad because for once, you did something wrong to someone!" Lavender cried; jealousy evident in her tone of voice. "Everyone's always going on about how perfect Hermione Granger is, and I'm bloody sick out it!" She cried out.

Hermione was about to speak and defend herself, but Lavender spoke out first."While you were safely at home with your muggle parents, I was witnessing my parents getting tortured and killed by some Death Eaters." Lavender slumped on the dirt ground. "I lost everything from the war! But _you._" She pointed her finger at Hermione. "You're parents are home safe, and every one in the Wizarding community loves you for saving the world from Voldemort!" Lavender complained.

Hermione now began to realize that what Lavender did was not fueled by hate; it was fueled from the aftershock of the war.

She slumped down next to Lavender, and wrapped one arm around her shoulder for comfort, but Lavender pushed her to the ground.

Lavender stood up in front of Hermione, "You don't deserve to live. You're nothing but a mud-blood." Her wand was now pointing at Hermione. "You should've died instead of my parents." Hermione couldn't blame Lavender for her actions. She understood Lavender was still grieving, and she was just looking for someone to blame for everything, and she found that someone in Hermione.

"I'm going to kill you, Hermione Granger." Lavender began to laugh uncontrollably. "I'm going to kill you!" She kept repeating. It was clear now that Lavender had lost her sanity.

"Avad-" Hemione was waiting for the pain, and blackness to envelope her, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lavender being pinned on the ground by Malfoy. He took her wand, and broke it into two, but not after using it to stun her.

He stuck out his hand for Hermione to grab on to. "You being my mate, I sensed your fear, and couldn't help myself looking for you." He explained, not meeting her eyes with his.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and began crying onto his chest. Draco was startled and kept his arms to himself at first, but when he heard her sobs, his Veela instincts kicked in, and he wrapped his arms around her small figure.

"Thank you, Draco. And I'm so sorry for playing you." She cried. "I admit I accepted your friendship to gain information from you, but the way I acted towards you wasn't an act." She rambled on. "As soon as you told me about the mate thing, I wanted our friendship to be real, not based on a lie, so I went to speak to McGonagall, and she allowed me to back out." Hermione retracted herself from his embrace to look into his eyes. "Please tell me you forgive me, Draco. Please." She breathed out, her teary honey brown eyes looking up at him.

Draco felt defeated. He couldn't stand to see his mate crying. No matter how badly Hermione had hurt him, he gave in into her apology. "Let's start over. No more lies from now on." Draco proposed.

He stuck his hand out to her, "Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy, and I think you read too many books." He said, earning him a small laugh from Hermione.

She shook his hand and announced, "Hello Draco. I'm Hermione Granger, and I think you're a total arse." She teased.

Draco laughed, and pulled her into another embrace. Hermione couldn't explain it, but she felt so safe in Draco's arms. He had a sense of humor, and if Hermione came to think of it, he was also very intelligent.

_I think I'm falling for you. _This thought of hers directed to Draco.

Draco couldn't believe his ears when he thought he heard Hermione muttering "_I think I'm falling for you._" He pulled her body off of his, "You're what?" Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. _Did I say that aloud?" _Hermione asked herself. "You're falling for me?" He couldn't help but smile at her.

"We should really get Lavender to the Hospital Wing, I think she's gone insane." Hermione made her way to Lavender's body, in attempt to change the subject.

Draco walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. This gesture made Hermione shiver, but in a good way. "I think I'm falling for you too." He whispered into her ear.

After taking Lavender to the Hospital Wing, they found out she suffered from deep depression which caused her to go insane. They sent her to St. Mungos in the mental ward where she will be taken care of until she regains her sanity back.

During dinner, she was bombarded with questions about the incident with Lavender. She told the others not to worry about it, but she told Harry and Ron everything.

At first, her two friends were angry at her for almost killing her, but when Hermione explained Lavender's situation, they felt sorry for her.

"We're just glad you're okay, Hermione." Harry said.

"Yeah, thanks to Draco. He got there in time before Lavender could finish reciting the killing curse." Hermione's eyes wander across the room to the Slytherin table and met his eyes as she talked.

Ron was about to badmouth Draco in front of Hermione, but Harry stopped him. "Ron and I should go thank him for saving our best friend." Harry suggested.

Hermione shook her head, "That's not really necessary guys." She protested.

Ron nodded his head in agreement, which earned him a glare from Harry.

"We insist, Hermione." Harry grabbed Ron's hand, and dragged him to the Slytherin table.

Draco was speaking to Blaise about the upcoming Quidditch match, when he felt two figures standing in front of him.

To say that he was surprise to see Potter and Weasel in front of him was an understatement.

"Hello Malfoy. We just came here to thank you for saving Hermione's life. We owe you one." Ron gave Harry a look as if to say 'We don't owe him anything', but he kept quiet. "We're really grateful you got to her in time." Harry looked at Ron. "Aren't we Ron?" He nodded in agreement with Harry.

"You're welcome." Draco said smugly, turning his body towards Blaise to continue talking about Quidditch.

When Ron and Harry figured he wasn't going to say anything else, they retreated back to the Gryffindor table.

"That was awkward." Blaise said once both of the boys were out of earshot.

"Yeah…Never knew Weasley could be so civil towards me." Draco snickered.

"I take it that you and Granger are good now?" Blaise asked his friend.

"We're better than good, we're great." Draco met her eyes, and they smiled at each other.

Blaise didn't miss their interaction, neither did Pansy.

"What's this I hear about you and Granger being good, Drakey?" Pansy spoke up.

"It's none of your business." Blaise defended.

Pansy slumped in her seat. She made eye contact with Granger across the room, and when she did, she mouthed, _"Mine". _

_**A/N: **_I apologize now if there are any punctuation errors. Anyways, Uh oh! Poor Lavender is gone, but now Pansy is stirring up trouble.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **104 reviews! Woo-hoo. You guys are truly the best readers ever. I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter.

**Chapter 13.**

Days had passed since Hermione and Draco expressed their feelings for each other. They weren't official yet, due to Hermione's still lack of trust for Draco.

It's not that she wasn't grateful for him saving her life, but she felt like she knew absolutely nothing about him, except for the fact that he was an arrogant, wealthy, pureblood.

When Hermione expressed to him about how they knew nothing of each other, Draco asked her to accompany him on a date at _Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop_.

Hermione wasn't really the type of girl to flaunt her non-existent relationship with Draco, so she denied his invitation. She just got over the traumatizing fact that Lavender almost killed her; she didn't need every girl in Hogwarts attacking her for dating the Slytherin Prince.

She wanted so badly to spend some time with Draco without Harry or Ron hovering over them; trying to watch out for their friend, so she offered Draco to meet her in the Astronomy Tower after their classes were over.

Draco's last class for the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Seeing as this was his second best class behind Potions, he decided to ditch and head to the Astronomy Tower early to prepare his "date" with Hermione.

He wasn't very fond of spending time together with Hermione in the Astronomy Tower, due to the horrid memories the place held, however, Hermione insisted, and he couldn't deny her what she wanted.

Draco climbed the spiral steps leading to the tower; when he got there, it took him awhile to regain his composure.

His eyes wandered around the tower, visualizing where every one was, when the murder of Albus Dumbledore took place. The guilt of his Headmaster's death began to build up, and he felt a tear escape from his eye.

The thought of being slightly responsible for the death of one of the best wizards in existence would've made the old Draco Malfoy swell with pride, but now, he felt nothing but disgust.

He was disgusted and angry; angry at his father for always wanting to be on Voldemort's good side, angry at himself for wanting to do everything to please his father to receive love which he only acquired from his mother.

Draco didn't know how long he stood there, remembering those horrid memories the place held. He quickly snapped out of his train of thought when he heard faint foot steps heading up the staircase.

Realizing, there weren't any benches or seats for him and Hermione to sit on, he conjured up a blanket big enough for the two of them, and placed it on the floor.

"Hello, Granger." Even though Draco was just in tears a moment ago, he couldn't help but offer her his rare genuine smiles.

"Hello, Malfoy." Hermione took a seat next to Draco on the blanket he accommodated. She didn't find it weird at all that they were addressing each other by their last name. Considering that they were to start over with their friendship, it was only fair to start on last name basis.

"Do you always carry a book with you wherever you go?" Draco chuckled, noticing Hermione nestling a copy of a _Jane Austen _book in her arms.

"Reading is my safe haven." Hermione muttered. It seemed strange to her how she was sharing information about herself to her once arch nemesis. "Besides flying, of course." She quickly added.

Draco's ears perked up at the word _flying. _"Why don't I see you carrying around a broom then?" He joked, to make things less tense between them.

"How do you know that I'm not carrying one right now?" She teased back, sending him a smirk only Malfoy could pull off. Draco laughed not fully knowing that she was actually carrying a shrunken broom with her.

He noticed Hermione looking at him with so much seriousness planted on her face, "You can't be serious right?" He bit on his bottom lip, to stop him from laughing. When he received silence for a response from Hermione, he couldn't stop the urge to laugh.

He laughed at her innocence and vulnerability, and how those flaws of hers made her adorable in his eyes.

Hermione began to get up, clearly offended at Draco for laughing at her. Before she could make it to the steps of the staircase, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her ears. "You're just so full of surprises; I can't seem to keep up with you." He continued. "Smart and handy with brooms; you, Hermione Granger, are the girl of my dreams." Hermione turned her body so she could bury her face into his chest to hide her blush.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think the Head Girl was blushing." Draco joked.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think the Head Boy was going soft." Hermione argued back, which Draco faked a hurt expression.

The banter between the two continued for hours, not even realizing the time ticking by. Hermione's head was situated on Draco's lap; both of them laughing at each other's stories.

At this moment, Draco was clutching to his sides in result of Hermione telling him the story of the time she accidentally turned herself into Millicent Bulstrode's cat with the use of Polyjuice Potion in second year.

"Draco, it's not funny!" Hermione cried, getting up to a sitting position to playfully smack Draco's arm. "Draco. Stop laughing at me." As she pleaded with him, she couldn't help herself laugh too.

It was rare to see Malfoy laugh, or even smile, and Hermione found it both contagious. Every time she would hear his laughter fill the room, Hermione felt this burst of happiness in her chest.

"Draco Malfoy, if you don't stop laughing right this instance, I'm never talking to you ever again!" Hermione warned him.

Draco knew Hermione would never be able to resist him, but he wouldn't take chances, so he did what his lady told him to do.

Delighted of the way Draco followed her orders so easily, she lay on the blanket searching for the constellations in the night sky.

Her body tensed up when she felt Draco's body lying next to her, but there was this mysterious urge for her to wrap her arms around him, and lay her head on his chest.

"Draco, tell me about your childhood." Hermione soft voice broke the silence.

Draco was startled by this question, "Why do you want to know?" He asked, turning his head to face her.

"I want to be able to understand you." She whispered into the night sky, not breaking her eye contact with the stars.

It seemed like a weird question to ask, but Draco understood where she was coming from. He ventured into his memories of the past to recite them back to Hermione, even if some weren't so pleasant.

Draco informed Hermione about how ever since he was a child, his father treated him with little respect. He went on about how lonely his holidays were as a kid in the Malfoy Manor with no one to accompany him but the house elves.

Somewhere along the story, Hermione rested her head on his chest, with her arms wrapped around him to comfort him. Draco, playing with Hermione's hair, was the only thing distracting him from shedding tears as he told Hermione of how his own father would use to Cruciatius curse on his only son.

"I'm sorry, Draco." Hermione spoke up.

"For what, 'Mione?" He asked.

"For thinking you had a perfect life growing up." She muttered. Every time she witnessed Draco's mean behavior towards the younger students, Hermione would go off to Harry and Ron ranting about how Draco acted like he was superior to others because of his perfect, pureblood life.

"I'm sorry too, Hermione." Draco began. "I'm sorry for all the times I called you names, and I'm sorry for all the times I belittled you for your blood." Hermione could hear the sincerity in his voice.

"I punched you in the face in third year, I think were even." She laughed.

The walk back to their shared dormitory was silent, but not awkward in the slightest bit.

"Did you enjoy our date?" Hermione blushed red scarlet when she asked the question as they walked in to their common room. She was obviously embarrassed for having to ask the question, but since she was the one who asked to hang out in the Astronomy Tower, she found it only fair to ask if Draco enjoyed himself.

"I didn't know we were on a date…" Draco teased.

"Well..Uhm…I just thought…" Hermione couldn't find words to explain herself.

Draco took her hands in his to calm her down from her rambling, "I was just joking, 'Mione. I enjoyed our _date _very much." He reassured her.

"Alright, good night then." Hermione smiled at him, before making a run for it towards her bedroom.

"Wait!" His voice stopped her before she could even make it up the stairs. "Since this was a date, isn't it fitting that I receive a goodnight kiss?" He smirked.

Hermione walked towards him nervously. She already kissed him in a very heated passion, so she didn't understand what got her so nervous for giving Draco a goodnight kiss.

When her lips met his, she already felt her knees weakening. She was lucky that Draco had his arms wrapped around her waist tightly; if he didn't, she was sure that her body couldn't hold itself up on its own due to the way Draco made her feel every time they kissed.

Hermione was meant to only give him a peck on the lips, but things got heated very quickly. His hands wandered just above her bum, while hers ran through his platinum blond hair.

Draco nibbled on her lower lip, earning him a soft moan from Hermione. Their hands roamed around each other's body, bringing out the worse in each other.

Hermione whimpered when her lips lost contact with his. Draco rested his forehead onto hers, "Wow." He sighed of happiness.

"Good night, Draco." She gave him one last peck on the lips before departing to her bed room.

"Good night, kitten!" Draco yelled out, loud enough for her to hear.

Hermione smiled at Draco's nickname for her. She lay in bed for hours replaying their kiss on her head. On the other side of the dorm, Draco was doing the exact same thing.

Both of them drifted off to sleep, dreaming about each other.

Hermione woke up with a decision to confess to her friends about her and Draco's situation. They've been through a lot in the past seven years, and she didn't want to betray them by not being fully honest with them.

"Merlin! The bloody gods have gone mad if they think Draco is your soul mate." Hermione had already prepared herself for this kind of response from Ron.

"Well…"Harry spoke out. "If you look at them as two strangers, and not as Hermione and Malfoy, they have a lot in common." He declared, earning him a look from Ron as if to say "Bonkers, this one!"

"So you're taking the git's side now, Harry?" Ron whined.

"I'm not taking anyone's side! I'm just trying to be a supportive friend to Hermione." Harry argued.

Hermione was grateful that Harry always seemed to be there to balance out with Ron's teaspoon of a brain. She had Ron, who didn't listen to any reason, and Harry, a friend who at least tries to understand.

"Enough!" Hermione yelled, tired of them bickering like they haven't been friends for the past seven years. "I'm not asking for your approval, Ronald." She spat at him, using his full first name to make it clear that she was annoyed with him. "I just wanted you guys to understand, and be there for me." She reasoned.

Ron's face softened as he saw Hermione on the verge of tears as she spoke to them. He fancied Hermione some time in his life, but now, she was just a little sister to him.

"We just don't want you getting hurt." Ron argued. "You're like a sister to us, Hermione. And we don't let insufferable ferrets near our sisters." He declared.

"If you guys paid any attention to the lessons on Veelas during fifth year, you'd know that Veelas are very protective and loyal to their mates." She reasoned with them.

"Alright." The boys said in unison, clearly defeated. "But no public display of affection when we're around." Harry said.

Hermione was beaming at the fact that she got to have her two best friends remain in her life, and still be with Draco. She wrapped her arms around the two of them, whispering her thanks and appreciation.

"You guys are the best." Hermione declared as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

During the whole way there, Ron complained how his stomach was getting annoyed with his two friends for walking too slow.

Hermione and Harry just laughed it off; fully understanding Ron's attitude when he didn't have food in his stomach.

Harry and Ron abruptly stopped walking, and Hermione wondered why. Following their eyes to see what they were looking at, Hermione's honey brown eyes met with silver ones.

"Potter, Weasley." Draco nodded as a sign of acknowledgement.

"Malfoy." The boys said in unison.

"Hello, love." Draco greeted Hermione with a peck on the cheeks. She blushed as she realized Harry and Ron haven't left them yet when she heard the two boys groaning.

"I thought we said no public display of affection!" Ron bellowed.

"It was just a peck on the cheek, Ronald." Hermione said, rolling her eyes at him. "You're lucky we didn't start snogging in front of you." She warned.

Draco smiled as he witnessed Hermione being open with her relationship with her two closest friends. By the way Harry and Ron were being civil with him, he had guessed that Hermione left early to have a talk with them.

"Well, we're leaving just in case that happens." Ron walked away, dragging Harry with him.

"That was interesting." Draco said, breaking the silence as they walked hand in hand towards the Great Hall.

"I told them about you being a Veela, and myself being your mate." Hermione explained. "They promised to be civil, and I'm asking for you to do the same." She smiled at him.

Draco took her hand and lifted it on his lips to place a chaste kiss on it. "Anything to make my girlfriend happy." Hermione took her hand away from his clutches in response to what he said.

"Who said anything about me being your girlfriend?" She questioned him.

"We went on a date, and you kissed me." Draco reasoned. Hermione saw where he was coming from, but she wasn't the type of girl to just be someone's girlfriend because they kissed. In her opinion, it wasn't official until the guy asks the girl to be his girlfriend, and that's what she was hoping for Draco to do.

"Hermione Granger, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" Draco asked, having to have read what Hermione was thinking of at the moment.

Hermione didn't expect him to ask so soon, seeing as they only have gone on one date together. Although she believed they were moving to fast, Hermione couldn't bring herself to say no. She knew that at some point, they were going to end up together anyways, so why not quicken the process?

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck while his snaked around her waist.

There, in the middle of the hallway, where their fellow students stood as witnesses, they shared their first passionate kiss as a couple.

**A/N: **Do you guys think I should write another Dramione fic? It'll be post-Hogwarts. Basically, Hermione and Draco have a relationship in seventh year, and Hermione gets pregnant. But when she saw Draco snogging Pansy, she breaks it off with him, not informing him about her pregnancy. They lose contact with each other after they graduate as Hermione takes care of their kid alone with the help of her two best friends.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Vote on the middle name of Hermione and Draco's daughter for my next fanfiction. The more/faster the votes, the faster I can update the story. Thank you, and enjoy. This chapter has a lot of Pansy planning, and a very angry/protective Draco.

**Kermit 304: **When Hermione was questioning to why she was his mate because she wasn't pureblood, she was just assuming that since his family was the oldest Pureblood family in the wizarding world, she also assumed that the previous Veelas in the family must've had a mate that was a pureblood. And a mate for a Veela is suppose to be their soul mate, the one they were perfect for, but she was a muggle born on Gryffindor, while he was a pureblood on Slytherin. Does that answer your question? Haha, if not. PM me about it.

**Chapter 14: Pansy's POV**

The way Draco flaunted that mud-blood around the whole school made me sick to my stomach. I was supposed to be the one in his arms. Don't even get me started on what I witnessed in the Astronomy Tower. How they seemed to be so comfortable with each other infuriated me. _Ugh. _

Something had to be done about their relationship, and I knew just the person to help me sabotage it. On a Saturday, instead of heading to Hogsmeade with my fellow seventh years, I made my escape to the Malfoy Manor.

The place was dreary, no doubt about it, but I certainly will have to change that once I married Draco, which I'm positive will happen.

"What brings you here, my dear?" I grunted, disappointed to see Narcissa making her way towards me. I was hoping to see Lucius due to the fact that he was way more understanding with the whole _mudbloods don't belong in our word_ idea than his wife.

"I came here to speak to your husband, Mrs. Malfoy." Kind of rude for someone having been thought of pureblood etiquette, but it was straight-forward none the less.

"Oh, well then, I shall go fetch him for you. Make yourself at home, Miss Parkinson." _Oh I will, seeing as this will be my home someday. _The thought ran through my mind as I watched Mrs. Malfoy walk out the room.

Her absence gave me time to think of a way to approach things with Mr. Malfoy. He was less prejudiced against mud-bloods ever since the war ended, but he certainly wouldn't allow his only son to be with a mud-blood. _Right? _

Just as I was contemplating what Mr. Malfoy's response to my plan was, he walked in the room, without Mrs. Malfoy in tow.

"My wife said you wanted to speak to me?" Mr. Malfoy addressed as he walked into the room being his intimidating self. I might as well get use to him, seeing as he will be my father in law one day.

He spoke in a manner that you have to think about what you have to say back, and that's what I did. "It appears that Draco is involved in a relationship with a mud-blood, who happens to be Harry Potter's best friend." His laughter caught me off guard.

"It appears so." Was all he had to say.

"It appears so?" I gasped. "Aren't you going to do something about this?" Demanding him to do something might get me on his bad side, although, at this point, I just wanted to break Draco up with that mud-blood. "She's going to taint the Malfoy blood!" My voice echoed on the walls.

"There are some things you will never understand Ms. Parkinson." He explained. "Who my son happens to fall in love with is neither of our concern." _In-love with? _It's as if he didn't grow up in the Pureblood society. There are rules and traditions to be followed, and one of them is not allowing your children to associate themselves with witches and wizards with dirty blood.

"Draco and I belong together!" I cried out.

"He belongs to his mate!" Mr. Malfoy shouted. _Mate? _If anyone should be Draco's mate, it should be me, and not Know-It-All Granger.

"If you won't help me break them up, then I guess I'll have to do it on my own." Stomping out of Malfoy grounds, I apparated back to Hogsmeade.

While sneaking a firewhiskey at the Three Broomsticks, I figured out the perfect plan to make Draco leave that mud-blood.

After a few more bottles of firewhiskey, I made my way back to Hogwarts to set everything for my grand plan.

I rummaged through my cabinets, looking for a small vial that held the answer to my prayers.

_Where is that bloody love potion?_

**Hermione/Draco POV**

"Just because I accepted your proposal for me to be your girlfriend, doesn't mean that I'm ready to mark me as your mate." Hermione went on. She and Draco were on their first official date at Hogsmeade; all was well, until Draco brought up the topic of marking her.

He thought it was necessary for him to mark her, seeing as he didn't feel like spending the remaining months before his birthday in excruciating pain.

"Did you expect our relationship not to last then?" Draco questioned.

"It's not that." Hermione took a step forward to get closer. "I just think we're going too fast." She whispered on his chest, after wrapping her arms around him, trying to lessen his frustration with her at the moment.

"Yes, because I have all the time in the world to wait until you're ready for me to mark you." Draco spat, sarcasm evident in his tone of voice.

"I'm just asking for time, Draco!" Hermione cried out. "I want to be able to be with you before your Veela genes get stronger once you mark me." Having read about Veelas, Hermione knew that they tend to get overprotective and possessive once they've finished marking their mate. She wasn't saying that she longer wanted to be with him once those traits of his get stronger, she just wanted to enjoy her time with Draco while he was still himself.

As if reading her mind, Draco said, "Are you worried that I will change how I treat you once I marked you, or are you afraid of commitment?" A Veela marking his mate was basically getting married in the eyes of the Wizarding World.

Hermione didn't fear commitment with Draco until he brought it up. Now that she came to think about it, she was afraid. Not of commitment, but of his family not accepting her.

"I'm not afraid of commitment." Hermione argued. "I'm afraid that I won't be good enough for you, or your family." She explained. "What if they don't like me? What if they disown you?" Hermione knew how used to wealth Draco was, and if being with her meant getting his inheritance away from him, she wasn't going to allow him to sacrifice that for her.

Draco let out a sigh of relief knowing that Hermione wasn't afraid to commit. He saw no reason to why she would be scared of his parents not liking her. She was the epitome of a Malfoy bride, excluding the purity of her blood.

"My parents already know about you being my mate, Hermione." He said, taking her back into his arms. "They weren't jumping with joy, but they accept our bond. In fact, my mother wants to have tea with you next Saturday." When Draco informed his parents about winning over his mate's heart, they were thrilled at the fact that they didn't have to worry about their only son dying anymore.

Hermione pulled away from his embrace, and looked at him with wide eyes. "Y-your mother wants to have t-tea with m-me?" She stuttered.

Draco sensed Hermione's nervousness with the news of having tea with his mother, "You're afraid to have tea with my mother, who is completely harmless if I might say." He began, stroking her hand in the process of trying to ease her worry. "But you're not afraid of breaking into my Aunt Bellatrix's vault that is heavily guarded by a dragon." He teased, trying to ease the tension.

"What ever happened to your Gryffindor courage?" He questioned her, earning a playful slap on the arm.

"You'll be by my side the whole time, right?" Draco chuckled at Hermione's failed, but adorable, attempt to do puppy dog eyes.

"Of course, love. I would never throw you into a pit of snakes alone." Draco joked, their conversation about Draco marking Hermione completely forgotten.

Later that day, they met up with Blaise, who was surprisingly in a date with Ginny. The group decided to ride in a carriage together back to the Castle. On the whole way there, the girls joked about their misfortune to scoring Slytherin boyfriends, while the boys cuddled up with their Gryffindor girlfriends.

"We might be Slytherins, but you love us." Draco commented. Blaise nodded his head in agreement, giving Ginny a peck on the cheeks afterwards.

"I wouldn't be so sure of your selves." Hermione teased, rolling her eyes.

Draco pouted his lips, trying to fake a hurt expression to what Hermione just said. She laughed at the idea of witnessing a Malfoy pout.

She gave him a quick chaste kiss on his pouty lips when Blaise began to make fun of how Malfoys don't pout.

It was sundown by the time the group made it back to the castle. Needing to be alone with Hermione in their shared dorms, Draco ran through the corridors, with Hermione in tow, rushing to get to their dorms.

They collapsed on the common room floor laughing after just escaping Mr. Filch and his yelling, warning them not to run through the corridors.

"Someone was in a rush to get me all to himself." Hermione teased, cuddling her way into Draco's welcoming arms.

**Breakfast, Great Hall. **

Pansy let out a frustrated grunt when she saw Hermione and Draco walk into the Great Hall hand in hand. She was disgusted to how open Draco was with his relationship to the mud-blood.

When she saw the two separate into their own tables, Pansy motioned him to sit next to her and Blaise.

"When's the wedding, Draco?" Blaise joked, when he noticed that his friend couldn't take his eyes away from Hermione.

Draco threw a piece of bacon at his friend, which Blaise dodged due to his fast reflexes. While the two continued to banter, and throw food at each other, Pansy sneakily poured the vial of love potion into Draco's pumpkin juice.

She smiled when she saw him take a drink from his cup.

"Pansy, may I walk you back to the dungeons?" Draco asked out of nowhere; the effects of the potion slowly surfacing.

"Oh, Drakey. I would love that." With that, she locked her arms with Draco's, dragging him out of the Great Hall.

Blaise's mouth was ajar even after they left, completely shocked at Draco's sudden closeness to Pansy. On the other side of the room, Hermione stared as she saw her boyfriend walk out of the room with his arms locked with Pansy's.

In the dungeons, Pansy was all over Draco, taking full advantage of the love potion. "Why are you with that mudblood, Drakey?" She whined. "You should be with me." She cried onto his chest.

Draco felt confused. He still had a pull towards Hermione, but when Pansy cried into his chest, he had the urge to wrap his arms around her to comfort her.

"Don't worry, my love. I'll end it with her once I go back to the Heads' dorm." He reassured her, wondering why that just came out of his mouth.

**A/N: It's short, I know! I'm sorry! I just really wanted to give you guys a chapter. Next chapter though will be full of juicy drama, I promise. It'll be like 3 times longer than this one. Thank you guys for all the reviews, and check out Meant to Be which is my other Dramione fic. Please vote on the middle name of dramione's daughter. Once the votes are in, I'll upload the full prologue and chapter 1 of the story. xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Vote Vote Vote. Click on my other dramione fic: Meant to Be, and vote!

**Chapter 15: Hermione**

"I thought I was your mate!" Hermione cried out.

"Well I was mistaken! For all I know, you could've used a spell to make it seem like you were my mate." Draco accused her.

"I thought you loved me…" She sobbed.

"You thought wrong," Was the last thing she heard from Malfoy before he walked out of their common room, on his way to find Pansy.

Hermione felt used. With her history with Draco, she never thought their relationship could work, and what just happened proved her right. Confusion began to cloud her mind; mixed with anger and hate towards Draco.

Her gut feeling was telling her that something wasn't right. The confusion clouding her mind was caused by her confusion to how Draco mistaken Hermione as his mate. For the past weeks that they have been together, Hermione had been secretly observing Draco to witness his Veela instincts surface whenever she was near.

_Needles piercing through my skin, everywhere. Something is wrong. I search the room for my attacker, but no one is in sight. Tear began to roll down from my faces. Tears of pain. Excruciating agony. The feeling of pain piercing through the gallows of my soul felt like getting Crucio'd by Bellatrix all over again. But this was much worse. Screams echoed through the walls of the common room. My eyes wander to find the beholder of the sound, but I find no one except my figure on the floor screaming in agony being reflected on a mirror across the room. Each second that passed by, the pain seemed to increase. It had gone from needles, to the feeling of knives stabbing my insides. _

"_Miss Granger…" Someone gasped. I didn't have time to answer back, seeing as my throat was very dry._

"_Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. Help me levitate her to the Hospital Wing." That was the last thing I heard my rescuer say, before black engulfed my visions. _

**Meanwhile…**

After ending his relationship with Hermione, Draco went to seek out his real mate, Pansy. They were to visit his parents at the Manor to announce their engagement with each other. When Pansy had asked him to marry her, he was reluctant to say yes due to the pull he still felt towards Hermione. However, when Pansy began to break down, Draco had no choice but to agree to her proposal.

Somehow, he didn't feel happy about the engagement at all. Ever since Pansy and him went further into their relationship, the pain in his chest seemed to increase. This was due to the fact that the Veela inside him was trying to fight off the love potion.

"Draco love, we're home." Draco must've been off in his own world, not even noticing that Pansy somehow apparated them to the Malfoy Manor. Pansy clung on his arms as Draco's parents approached them.

"What is the meaning of this, son?" Lucius questioned.

"Take your hands off my son, Miss Parkinson." Narcissa spat at her.

Draco was confused to whether support what his mother just suggested, or to defend his supposedly mate.

"Mother, please don't speak like that to my fiancée." Draco said, deciding to go with the latter. Pansy's hold to Draco began to loosen; feeling somewhat safer now that Draco defended her from his parents.

Both Narcissa and Lucius gasped at the title Draco bestowed on Pansy. If Pansy didn't come running to Lucius the other day, asking him to help her sabotage Hermione and Draco's relationship, he might've believed that Draco was marrying her on his own will.

"What is the meaning of this, dear?" His mother asked. "We thought Hermione was your mate. You were so sure of it." Lucius nodded in agreement with his wife. Although Hermione wasn't pureblood, his parents preferred her for their son, rather than Pansy. Hermione was pure, and good-hearted, a well balanced match for Draco. On the other hand, Pansy was just in love with their son due to his wealth and inheritance.

"Hermione is not my mate mother." Draco responded. "I was mistaken. Pansy here is my mate." He gestured to the pug-face Slytherin. "I love her, and we want to get married as soon as possible." Pansy smiled, as if she just won something.

Narcissa looked at her husband, but found that he was already racing his way towards the couple in front of them. It took both Draco and his mother by surprise when Lucius grabbed Pansy's arm.

"What did you do to my son?" He yelled in her face, tightening his grip in the process. Pansy turned her head to face Draco, her eyes pleading for him to help her.

"Father, let go of her!" Draco commanded.

Lucious ignored his son's command and shook Pansy by the arm, demanding an answer to his question.

"Father! I said let-" Draco dropped on the floor, screaming. Narcissa quickly rushed to his side, concerned to what was causing her son so much pain for him to scream like that. After seeing his son collapse, Lucius let go of his grip on Pansy, and kneeled down next to Draco.

"Mother, it hurts everywhere." Draco cried in agony. At the moment, he was experiencing the same thing Hermione felt. It was much worse for him though, seeing as he was the one with the Veela genes. The Veela resurfaced, escaping the effects of the love potion, causing him pain to be away from Hermione.

Pansy stood there as witness to Draco's cries, shocked to what was happening to him.

Lucius decided to leave Draco in Narcissa's care so that he could deal with Pansy. "I'll ask you one more time, Miss Parskinson." He made his way towards the girl I the corner. "What did you do to my son?" Pansy whimpered against the wall hearing Draco's father yell at her.

She wanted to lie. She wanted to tell him that she didn't do anything, and that his son really did love her. However, with Lucius towering over her small frame like a predator, she couldn't find the right words to say.

"I gave him Amortentia." Pansy confessed. "Only because I love him, and we belong together!" She explained, hoping that Lucius wouldn't do anything that would end him up in Azkaban.

Before eh could do any damage though, he heard his son calling for him.

"Father, I need to go see Hermione." Draco requested. "I told that I didn't love her. She'll never forgive me, Father." He cried.

His father turned his body to check on Pansy, but he saw her making her way to the fireplace. "Hogsmeade!" He heard her shout at the flames.

Choosing to deal with her later, he granted his son's wish, and took him back to Hogwarts to see Hermione.

**In the Hospital Wing…**

"Make it stop, Harry. Please. It hurts. Make it stop, Ron." Harry and Ron both shared worried looks towards Hermione, who was thrashing in her hospital bed, crying in agonizing pain.

"Isn't there anything you can give her to ease the pain, Madam Pomfrey?" Ron asked, concern and desperation evident in his voice.

"I wish I could, but I don't know what's causing her pain." The school healer explained.

After two hours of screaming and thrashing, Madam Pomfrey insisted that Harry and Ron head back to their classes. They were reluctant to leave, but after Madam Pomfrey reassured that their friend was going to be fine, they agreed to leave.

**a/n: What did you guys think? More of Hermione in the hospital wing in the next chapter! Review. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Check out my other Dramione Fic, which I renamed Silver Bullet.**

With the end of Voldemort, Hermione anticipated it to also be the end of the tragedies that seemed to take place in her life. Her mind wandered to her dark past filled with people belittling her for her lineage as she lay on her hospital bed; the pain slowly fading away.

A tear escaped her eye as she relived the events that occurred earlier in the day. Hermione had come to believe that Draco had changed, and that he was capable of having feelings besides hatred towards her. Although, after he painfully cut all ties with her, all hope was gone.

In all her life, Hermione had never felt so foolish; for she believed that she could actually be Draco Malfoy's mate, the other piece of his soul. For a heart as pure as hers would never be compatible to someone's as cold as Draco's.

After her eyes had been drained of all the tears, Hermione allowed sleep to devour her. Sooner than she would've liked, her slumber was interrupted by two voices that appeared to be in deep discussion.

"You're excused for all your classes today, Mr. Malfoy." Hermione heard a womanly voice say.

"Thank you, Professor." The voice; who she assumed belonged to Malfoy, replied.

"Best you stay by her side. Pomfrey tells me she'll be awake any moment now." The sound of retreating footsteps and billowing robes announced the Professor's departure.

Malfoy followed the Professor's instructions, and took a seat on the chair positioned next to Hermione's bed. His hand found hers, much to Hermione's dismay.

Anger engulfed her at the thought of Malfoy's presence. Hermione wanted nothing more than to pull away from his hold, but she didn't want him to know of her awakening. Or so, that's what she kept telling herself.

Even if she gravely wanted to deny it, his touch brought her at ease, and as if he was the cure, the pain that had caused Hermione to relocate to the Hospital Wing suddenly disappeared.

Malfoy's words of apologies echoed through the walls, distracting Hermione from her train of thought. "She tricked me, Hermione." She heard him whisper over and over again. His voice seemed to give up, as she swore that she heard a sob escape his lips.

Curiosity got the best of her as she opened her eyes, revealing a much disheveled Draco Malfoy. The sorrow and guilt that was plastered on his face made Hermione want to reach out to him and express her love for him; although, the recollection of the past events kept her from doing so.

The sight of him was equal to the disgust she felt whenever she was in Umbridge's presence. His mouth opened to say something, but Hermione quickly cut him off.

"Get out." Hermione said forcefully, pulling away from his hand in the process.

"Let me explain." Malfoy pleaded with her.

"I don't give a rat's arse about your explanation, Malfoy. Now _get out._" She yelled with all that she could muster.

Malfoy was taken aback, for surely, this was a side of Hermione he had never witnessed before.

"This isn't exactly the scene I hoped for when I wanted to tell you this, but blimey Hermione. You leave me no choice." With all the courage he could summon beneath all of his Slytherin traits, he said, "For all that is Merlin, I bloody love you, Hermione." He confessed.

To say that Hermione was surprised was an understatement. Sure, they had proclaimed their feelings for each other, but neither of them has used such a word to express how they felt before. Hermione had been so sure she would have been the first to use the 'L' word when declaring how she felt towards Draco.

They both stared at each other, too dumbfounded to find the right words to say. Never had Malfoy speak of the word love, much less say it to someone. For that main reason, he waited for Hermione's rejection.

"Was Pansy not enough for you?" She replied coldly.

Then and there, Malfoy realized that he created this Hermione. The Hermione who wasn't so forgiving to others, the Hermione who had turned cold thanks to the heartbreak he put her through.

"She spiked my drink with Amortentia." Draco snapped, getting right to the point. He saw in her eyes that she did not believe him. "Use Legilimency on me! Then you'll know I'm telling the truth." Seeing as she didn't have her wand with her, he handed her his own, to prove that he was serious about his proposition.

It took a fraction of a second for Hermione to make up her mind before she reached out and grab hold of his wand. With the wand pointed at him, Draco waited for the feeling of his mind being invaded.

"Legilimens!" Hermione recited.

Finding it unnecessary to let Hermione witness his interactions with Pansy while under the love potion, Draco tried his best to block out those memories from her, only allowing her access to the events that took place in the Manor.

_Hermione watched as Lucius towered over a girl in the corner of the room. "I'll ask you one more time, Miss Parskinson." Her eyes watched the scene intently, watching to know what his question was. "What did you do to my son?" Hermione heard Pansy whimper as Lucius's voice echoed through the walls. _

_Hermione suddenly felt it difficult to take her eyes off of Pansy; wanting so badly to know the answer herself. She watched as Pansy shook with fear as her predator came closer. Knowing Pansy, she would've lied, but the look in her eyes told Hermione that she was too scared of Mr. Malfoy to do as such. _

"_I gave him Amortentia." Pansy confessed. "Only because I love him, and we belong together!" Hermione gasped, realizing that Draco had been telling the truth. The anger she felt for Draco transferred to Pansy._

"_Father, I need to go see Hermione." Hermione heard Draco say in the memory. "I told that I didn't love her. She'll never forgive me, Father." He cried. _

"It's good to know how much my own girlfriend trusts me." Draco said coldly, taking his wand back from Hermione.

The coldness and hatred that was plastered on Hermione's face was replaced with guilt, for she knew that what Draco was saying was true. Being his girl friend, Hermione should've known better than to accuse him of such.

Without knowing what to say to him, Hermione simply reached out and intertwined his fingers with hers. She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.

"I'm sorry, Draco." Hermione began. "I was hurt, and I was acting very foolishly." She admitted.

"Apology not accepted." Draco huffed.

Hermione stared at him, confused. "Why not?" She questioned him.

"Because you still didn't give me a response to my confession earlier." He reasoned.

She still stared at him with a confused look on her face, not sure of what he meant. Going through their whole conversation in her mind, Hermione's eyes widened when she remembered Draco confessing his love for her.

"I love you too, ferret." She smiled at him.

"Know-it-all." Hermione faked a hurt expression, but was instantly replaced with a smile as she felt Draco's lips on hers.

**A/N: **I was currently watching the Order of Phoenix as I wrote this chapter, hence Umbridge's name making an appearance in this chapter. I hate her so muuuuuch, I wanted to smash my computer screen and strangle her! **Kindly review, and let me know how you feel about Umbridge. Do you hate her as much as I do?**

Probably 5-10 more chapters to go before the end. Stick around because they'll be a twist in the ending, which you guys will probably scream at me for. Don't worry though, none of the characters die or anything.


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